Lycoperdon utriforme

22 October 2008 West Sussex. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Species

Fruiting Body

Sub-spherical, to pear shaped, initially white and coarsely warty, warts falling away to leave a smooth surface decorated with a network, darkening with age, insides ripening into a powdery spore mass which is released when the thin outer skin ruptures, to about 12 cm across

Flesh

White then olive-brown

Smell

Indistinct

Taste

Indistinct

Season

Autumn

Distribution

Frequent

Habitat

Grassland, heaths, and lawns

Spore Print

Olive-brown

Microscopic Features

Spores spherical, smooth (4-5) µm

Edibility

Edible when white throughout

Notes

Utriforme means 'bladder or bag shaped'