''Apioperdon pyriforme'', commonly known as the pear-shaped puffball or stump puffball, is a

saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ...

fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

present throughout much of the world. Emerging in autumn, this

puffball Puffballs are a type of fungus featuring a ball-shaped fruit body that (when mature) bursts on contact or impact, releasing a cloud of dust-like spores into the surrounding area. Puffballs belong to the division Basidiomycota and encompass sever ...

is common and abundant on decaying logs of both

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

and

coniferous Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

wood. It is considered a choice

edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from " eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...

when still immature and the inner flesh is white. It is often called ''Lycoperdon pyriforme'', but was transferred to ''Apioperdon'' in 2017 based on phylogenetic and morphological differences. It is the only species in the genus.

Taxonomy

The fungus was first described in the scientific literature by Jacob Christian Schaeffer in 1774. In 2001, DNA evidence compiled by Dirk Krüger and a number of other

mycologist Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their taxonomy, genetics, biochemical properties, and use by humans. Fungi can be a source of tinder, food, traditional medicine, as well as entheogens, poison, and ...

s suggested that the genus ''

Lycoperdon ''Lycoperdon'' is a genus of puffball mushrooms. The genus has a widespread distribution and contains about 50 species. In general, it contains the smaller species such as the pear-shaped puffball and the gem-studded puffball. It was formerly cl ...

'' was

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

, with the pear-shaped puffball differing most significantly from the group. This finding was supported by several morphological differences including the presence of

rhizomorph Mycelial cords are linear aggregations of parallel-oriented hyphae. The mature cords are composed of wide, empty vessel hyphae surrounded by narrower sheathing hyphae. Cords may look similar to plant roots, and also frequently have similar functi ...

s and its preference for wood. A 2003 publication of further research moved the puffball to the genus ''Morganella'' with the

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

's ending changed for

agreement Agreement may refer to: Agreements between people and organizations * Gentlemen's agreement, not enforceable by law * Trade agreement, between countries * Consensus (disambiguation), a decision-making process * Contract, enforceable in a court of ...

. In 2008, however, Larsson and Jeppson revisited the phylogeny of the

Lycoperdaceae The Agaricaceae are a family of basidiomycete fungi and include the genus '' Agaricus'', as well as basidiomycetes previously classified in the families Tulostomataceae, Lepiotaceae, and Lycoperdaceae. Taxonomy The family Agaricaceae was publis ...

, with a broader sampling of species, and retained the taxon in ''Lycoperdon''. It was renamed ''Apioperdon pyriforme'' in 2017. The specific epithet ''pyriforme'' is

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "pear-shaped".

Description

The

fruit body The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

of the pear-shaped puffball measures up to wide and tall. They are often pear-shaped as the name suggests, but they may also be nearly spherical. When very young they are covered in small white spines that typically fall off before maturity. A small developing pore may be visible at the top, while the sterile base of the mushroom is small and appears to be pinched in. Colour ranges from nearly white to yellowish brown with the darker shades developing with age, though the base remains white. The central pore ruptures at late maturity to allow the wind and rain to disperse the spores. The base is attached to the wood by means of

s (thick, cord-like strands of

mycelium Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

The

gleba Gleba (, from Latin ''glaeba, glēba'', "lump") is the fleshy spore-bearing inner mass of certain fungi such as the puffball or stinkhorn. The gleba is a solid mass of spores, generated within an enclosed area within the sporocarp. The conti ...

, or inner

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

mass, is white when young, but it becomes greenish-yellow to dark olive-brown with age. The spores measure 3 to 4.5

μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

and are round, smooth and a dark olive-brown in colour.

Similar species

The closely related common puffball, ''

Lycoperdon perlatum ''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 similar-appearing species, as are the poisonous, unrelated common earthball, ''

Scleroderma citrinum ''Scleroderma citrinum'', commonly known as the common earthball, pigskin poison puffball, or common earth ball, is a species of earthball fungus found in Europe and in North America. It is the most common species of Scleroderma (genus), earthba ...

'' and other species of ''Scleroderma''.

Distribution and habitat

It can be found throughout Europe on rotten wood, from July to December.

Edibility

The fungus is a choice

when still immature and the inner flesh is white. Additionally, one guide says that the puffballs are edible when densely fruited. They can be used fresh, or cut into thin slices for drying, which can then be pulverized for use as a flavoring powder. Caution should be used as the similar-looking species of the earthballs in genus ''Scleroderma'' (such as ''S. citrinum'') are poisonous.

References

External links

Mushroom Expert Profile
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q79337350, from2=Q79337417, from3=Q865798 Lycoperdaceae Fungi described in 1774 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Edible fungi Puffballs Monotypic Basidiomycota genera Fungus species