Lycoperdon pyriforme, the wolf-fart puffball by cherokee69

Photography • Macro • posted on Nov 12, 2004

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Description

This is a photo of some puffballs from a couple weeks ago when the weather wasn't so cold. In trying to find out what they were, I ran across the following... "wolf-fart puffball so-called because of its circular shape and ability to have its spores "puffed" out of a hole dissolved in the top. Like, the giant puffballs, Lycoperdon pyriforme and its relatives are edible if you find them early enough, before the white gleba turns yellow, then green then brown. The texture is somewhat like a marshmallow, or maybe old marshmallow creme. So where does the common name "Wolf-fart puffball" come from? I teach a course here called "Latin and Greek for Scientists," and so I know that "lyco" means wolf in Greek; "perdon" means "to break wind" in Greek, so the two combine to mean "wolf-fart." The epithet "pyriforme" means "pear shaped," so the common name for this could just as easily be the "pear shaped puffball." However, I think the "wolf-fart puffball" is much more fun, don't you think?" ...from Tom Volk's Fungi Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my last upload, "Lemon Yellow" !! Many thanks, Cherokee

Comments (12)

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Apophis906

9:19PM | Fri, 12 November 2004

LOL,oh thats good,thats a more funny name for sure. Excellent capture and job here.

AgentMai

9:39PM | Fri, 12 November 2004

Yeah I think that name tops the list of all time great names!! We get similar sorts of fungii here, and as kids....well the fact that they explode with powdery stuff is very amusing lol Great find, love the textures, perfectly captured =)

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magickmedbh

10:24PM | Fri, 12 November 2004

LOL...WOlf-Fart Puff Ball??? How funny! :D Thanks for the giggle, I surely needed it! :D

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chantal-france

3:49AM | Sat, 13 November 2004

What an excellent shot of these funny named but beautiful mushrooms! Love the POV and the presentation. Wonderful!

tony_br22

4:09AM | Sat, 13 November 2004

yo very good pic you made. point of view and material are very good indeed

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oscilis

4:13AM | Sat, 13 November 2004

Thay are called pedo de lobo here in Spain. Means exactly the same. I ate some once and they taste exactly like their name too! Eeegh. This is a lovely photo. It looks like a nest.

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Enmos

5:06AM | Sat, 13 November 2004

Wonderful shot of these Wolf-fart puffballs hehe :o) Excellent quality and work !! btw. i do have 'some' shrooms stashed away ;o)

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dirk5027

6:38AM | Sat, 13 November 2004

great pic, gotta love em with a name like that

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dadamson

11:50AM | Sat, 13 November 2004

I remember these from childhood. OF all of the mushrooms that scared me, these were at the top of the list! I still have no idea why. LOL. Excellent photo!!

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