Pear-shaped puffball.

Lycoperdon pyriforme

Pronounced ay-pee-oh-PER-don py-ri-FOR-mee

Also known as Lycoperdon pyriforme, Stump Puffball

This charming fungus grows in dense clusters on decaying wood. It is a decomposer that plays a vital role in forest ecosystems. You will often spot these little pear shaped mushrooms popping up after a good rain.

At a glance

Plant type: Fungus
Light: Shade
Indoor light: Low light
Water: Every 1 to 3 days
Mature size: 5 centimeters tall
Growth rate: Fast
Hardiness: USDA 3 to 9
Bloom time: Late summer to autumn

Care

This species is a wild fungus that requires specific decaying wood substrates to thrive. It is not typically cultivated as a houseplant. Observe it in its natural habitat rather than attempting to transplant it.

Watering: Keep the wood substrate consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Feeding: Do not fertilize this fungus as it derives nutrients from wood decay.
Pruning: Pruning is not applicable for this fungal species.
Repotting: Repotting is not applicable as this species requires specific wood logs.
Soil: Decaying wood
Soil pH: Acidic
Temperature: 5 to 25°C
Humidity: 60 to 90%

Safety

People: It is considered edible when the interior is pure white, but it must be cooked thoroughly.
Children: Keep children away from mature specimens to prevent them from inhaling the cloud of spores.
Contact allergens: Mature specimens release large clouds of spores that can irritate the eyes or skin.
Airborne allergens: Inhaling large amounts of the mature spores can cause respiratory irritation.
Edibility: Only consume if you are an expert mycologist, as misidentification with toxic species can be fatal.

How to identify it

Pear shaped fruiting body
Grows in dense clusters on wood
White to brownish exterior color
Small wart like scales on surface
Releases spores from central pore

Height: 0.02 to 0.05m
Spread: 0.02 to 0.04m
Leaves: deciduous
Flowers: white, tan, 2 to 5cm
Fruit: brown, Autumn

Growing it

Propagation: spore dispersal
When to plant: spring, autumn

Leave decaying logs in place to support the natural lifecycle of this beneficial decomposer.

Grows well with

Oak · It frequently grows on the decaying wood of fallen oak trees.
Beech · This fungus often colonizes the rotting stumps of beech trees.

Similar species

Common Puffball · It looks similar but grows on soil rather than wood.

Science

Family: Lycoperdaceae
Genus: Apioperdon
Order: Agaricales
Class: Agaricomycetes
Native range: Cosmopolitan distribution across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Conservation: This species is common and widespread, requiring no special conservation status.

It functions as a saprotroph, breaking down lignin and cellulose in dead wood to recycle nutrients back into the forest floor.

Value to wildlife: decomposer, nutrient recycler
Pollinators: beetles
Uses: culinary, ecological restoration

Through the year

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Flowering

Fruiting

Foliage

Ecological indicators

Salinity: 0/9
Soil reaction: 5/9
Light: 2/9
Temperature: 4/9
Moisture: 7/9
Nutrients: 5/9

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Is it safe to eat?: Only if the interior is firm and white, but always confirm with an expert.
Where does it grow?: You will find it growing on rotting logs and stumps in forests.

Where the name comes from

The name Apioperdon comes from the Greek words for pear and puffball, reflecting its distinct shape.

Good to know

The name pyriforme refers to its pear shape.
It is one of the few puffballs that grows in clusters on wood.
The spores are dispersed by raindrops hitting the top of the fruit body.

Keep your pear-shaped puffball growing

This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.

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This guide was generated with AI on September 26, 2026 and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.