Pear-shaped Puffballs (Morganella pyriformis)

These puffballs, Morganella pyriformis, grew on a tree stump in the woods behind the house – just off the pathway down to the creek - in October. I first spotted them on October 31st, 2009. Morganella pyriformis is the only puffball that grows on wood and, thus, is easily identified.

The tree stump with the puffballs…

A close up of some puffballs on the right hand side of the stump…

A macro shot that shows the fine ‘spines’ on the puffballs…

Formerly named Lycoperdon pyriforme, mycologists reassigned this puffball to its own genus, Morganella pyriformis., because of its unique characteristic of growing on wood as well as its unique taxonomic position based on molecular (DNA) testing.
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Identification resources:
- Michael Kuo (MushroomExpert.com): Morganella pyriformis
- Pamela’s Mushrooms: Pear-shaped Puffball (Lycoperdon pyriforme)