Origins of Lycoperdon

Stump Puffball - Lycoperdon pyriforme

As I looked up information about the Stump Puffball the first thing that caught my eye was the latin name – Lycoperdon pyriforme. My Greek side, though distant and diluted, picked up on the Lyco- immediately. Lykos in Greek means wolf, my deepest fear. Is this relevant? Next to find out was the perdon part of the name. In Greek, perdomai means to ‘break wind’ but this did not make sense to me. Wolf fart?

Okay – next to research was pyriforme. This is Latin for ‘pear-shaped’ as older Stump Puffballs do have a similar conformity.

More mature Stump puffball. 

Pear-shaped wolf fart.


When Puffballs are mature a hole forms at the crest of their bulb. Following contact by external factors such as rain, wind, even being stepped on by animals, the spores encased within the puffball are released into the air in a cloud. It is from this method of dispersal that the Puffball was named. The Stump Puffball is the only puffball to grow on wood and not in open soil which is the most outstanding feature between the different species.


Puffball are very common throughout forests and can be easily spotted if you keep your gaze low.


Does anyone know anymore or any different to this?