Page author: Wynn Tranfield
Lycoperdon perlatum
warted puff-ball, gem puffball, gem-studded puffball, devil's snuffbox
Specimens
Photos

Habitat: L. perlatum can be found in disturbed sites, such as forest roadsides, from late summer through fall whenever there is sufficient moisture.

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Description:
Identification Notes:

Its often densely clustered fruitbodies typically are white at first and become brownish in age. The species is distinctive by virtue of the outer layer of large conical warts, interspersed with smaller ones, that leave a reticulate pattern of shallow depressions over the tough, membranous inner layer as they are sloughed away. The inner peridium eventually develops an apical pore through which the olive brown spores are propelled by a bellows action when the spore sac is hit by raindrops or nudged by an inquisitive mushroom-hunter.

Accepted Name:
Lycoperdon perlatum Pers.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
(none provided)
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Lycoperdon perlatum in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database.

CalPhotos: Lycoperdon perlatum photos.

9 photographs:
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