Lycoperdon perlatum

Lycoperdon perlatum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Agaricaceae
Genus:	Lycoperdon
Species:	L. perlatum
Binomial name
Lycoperdon perlatum Pers. (1796)
Synonyms[1][2]
Lycoperdon gemmatum Batsch (1783) Lycoperdon gemmatum var. perlatum (Pers.) Fr. (1829) Lycoperdon bonordenii Massee (1887) Lycoperdon perlatum var. bonordenii (Massee) Perdeck (1950)

Species of fungus

Mycological characteristics
	Glebal hymenium
	Cap is convex
	Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is brown
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is choice or inedible

Lycoperdon perlatum, popularly known as the common puffball, warted puffball, gem-studded puffball or devil's snuff-box, is a species of puffball fungus in the family Agaricaceae. A widespread species with a cosmopolitan distribution, it is a medium-sized puffball with a round fruit body tapering to a wide stalk, and dimensions of 1.5 to 6 cm (5⁄8 to 2+3⁄8 in) wide by 3 to 10 cm (1+1⁄8 to 3+7⁄8 in) tall. It is off-white with a top covered in short spiny bumps or "jewels", which are easily rubbed off to leave a netlike pattern on the surface. When mature it becomes brown, and a hole in the top opens to release spores in a burst when the body is compressed by touch or falling raindrops.

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. Extracts of the puffball have antimicrobial and antifungal activities.