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Project Noah Nature School
Lycoperdon perlatum
commonly known as the common puffball, devil’s snuffbox and gem-studded puffball, is roughly the shape of an inverted pear. The stem is fairly large and the top is rounded. 2.5-7 cm wide and 3-7.5 cm high. Small whitish warts cover the fruiting body when young, fall off with age and leave scars. A large perforation is found in the center of the puffball that facilitates spore dispersal via rain or wind. White and fleshy when young but changing eventually to an olive color with brown spore dust. Spores 3.5-4.5 um round, minutely spiny. Capillital threads olive in KOH (3-7um wide).
floor of mountainous riparian woodland with lots of doug fir and tan oak
Not Safely Edible, Lycoperdon perlatum is reported to be edible when young, but needs to be avoided after its white color fades. It can be confused with young, unexpanded fruitbodies of toxic fungus species such as some Amanita species . Fruitbodies of L. perlatum can accumulate lead and mercury; inhalation of spores of this and other puffballs can cause a lung disease known as lycoperdonosis.
Spotted on Oct 20, 2015
Submitted on Mar 23, 2018
