Gem-studded Puffball

Description:

This type of puffball is shaped like an inverted pear with a prominent stem/stalk and a round top. They are covered with brown spines when young. At maturity, they develop a central perforation through which spores are released by rain and wind. The interior is completely white and homogenous.

Habitat:

These puffballs were growing on the ground in a deciduous forest next to some rotting wood.

Notes:

Lycoperdon perlatum is a good edible mushroom when young (when the gleba is homogeneous and all white). However, foragers must be careful not to confuse puffballs with young Amanitas, which are enclosed by a universal veil. But, a longitudinal section of a young Amanita will reveal the immature gills, which never occur in puffballs.