Lycoperdon perlatum
| Lycoperdon perlatum | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Agaricaceae |
| Genus: | Lycoperdon |
| Species: | L. perlatum |
| Binomial name | |
|
Lycoperdon perlatum Pers. (1796) |
|
| Synonyms | |
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 1,845.5 kJ (441.1 kcal) |
|
42 g
|
|
|
10.6 g
|
|
|
44.9 g
|
|
| Minerals | |
| Iron |
(42%)
5.5 mg |
| Manganese |
(29%)
0.6 mg |
| Zinc |
(5%)
0.5 mg |
|
|
| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
|
Lycoperdon perlatum, popularly known as the common puffball, warted puffball, gem-studded puffball, or the 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 (0.6 to 2.4 in) wide by 3 to 7 cm (1.2 to 2.8 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. Laboratory tests indicate that extracts of the puffball have antimicrobial and antifungal activities.
The species was first described in the scientific literature in 1796 by mycologist Christiaan Hendrik Persoon.synonyms include Lycoperdon gemmatum (as described by August Batsch in 1783); the variety Lycoperdon gemmatum var. perlatum (published by Elias Magnus Fries in 1829); Lycoperdon bonordenii (George Edward Massee, 1887); and Lycoperdon perlatum var. bonordenii (A.C. Perdeck, 1950).
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