Stump Puffball

Lycoperdon pyriforme

Forests, parks, gardens. Summer, autumn.

Very similar to the Common Puffball, only the fruiting bodies are smaller, up to 4 cm tall and 2 cm thick, pear-shaped, their peridium (skin) smooth-surfaced or only faintly fibrous. Young ones are white, the flesh white, later turning yellowish, eventually brown. Characteristic features: much smaller than the Common Puffball and smooth-surfaced. Sometimes grows in large groups, most often on rotting stumps, fallen trunks and wood waste. Young ones, while the flesh is white, soft, with a pleasant smell and taste, are edible. Very common; medical scientists have become interested in it.