Gem-studded puffball

Description:

The puffball grows in fields, gardens, and along roadsides, as well as in grassy clearings in woods. It is edible when young and the internal flesh is completely white, although care must be taken to avoid confusion with immature fruit bodies of poisonous Amanita species. L. perlatum can usually be distinguished from other similar puffballs by differences in surface texture. Several chemical compounds have been isolated and identified from the fruit bodies of L. perlatum, including sterol derivatives, volatile compounds that give the puffball its flavor and odor, and the unusual amino acid lycoperdic acid. Laboratory tests indicate that extracts of the puffball have antimicrobial and antifungal activities. - excerpt from Expedia

Notes:

The species was first described in the scientific literature in 1796 by mycologist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon. synonyms include Lycoperdon gemmatum (as described by August Batsch in 1783); the variety Lycoperdon gemmatum var. perlatum (published by Elias Magnus Fries in 1829[5]); Lycoperdon bonordenii (George Edward Massee, 1887); and Lycoperdon perlatum var. bonordenii (A.C. Perdeck, 1950). - excerpt from Expedia