Lycoperdon echinatum

Lycoperdon echinatum

The hedgehog puffball, spiny puffball or spring puffball (Lycoperdon echinatum Pers., 1794) is a basidiomycete fungus belonging to the Agaricaceae family.

Systematics –
Domain Eukaryota,
Kingdom Fungi,
Division Basidiomycota,
Subdivision Agaricomycotina,
Class Agaricomycetes,
Subclass Agaricomycetes,
Order Agaricales,
Family Agaricaceae,
Genus Lycoperdon,
Species L. echinatum.
The following terms are synonymous:
– Lycoperdon constellatum Fr.;
– Lycoperdon excipuliforme var. echinatum (Pers.) J.Kickx f.;
– Lycoperdon gemmatum var. echinatum (Pers.) Fr.;
– Lycoperdon hoylei Berk. & Broome;
– Utraria echinata (Pers.) Quél..

Etymology –
The term Lycoperdon comes from the Greek λύκος lýcos (wolf) and πέρδον perdon peto, loffa: wolf’s loffa, due to the mushroom’s peculiarity of emitting silent puffs of spores when struck or crushed when ripe.
The specific epithet echinatum derives from the Greek echinos (ἐχῖνος), meaning “urchin” or “sea urchin,” referring to the characteristic spines covering the fruiting body.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Lycoperdon echinatum is a saprobic species found in various regions of the world. It is present in central and eastern Africa, China, Costa Rica, Iran, Japan, Europe (Great Britain, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland), and North America (locally common east of the Rocky Mountains).
Its habitat is deciduous forest floors, grassy areas, clearings, and pastures, where it grows on moss, humus, or woody debris, and prefers beech forests.
It grows solitary or in small groups and bears fruit from late spring to autumn.
Mature specimens tend to blend in with the brown foliage.

Identification –
Lycoperdon echinatum is easily recognizable by the presence of its spines completely covering the entire mushroom and its ivory to brown color. Like all Lycoperdons, it sheds its spores when old when struck by raindrops or spontaneously. The spores of this species can cause temporary allergies.
The fruiting bodies are 2–4 cm wide and 2–3.5 cm tall; they are roughly spherical or pear-shaped. The outer surface is covered with spines that can be up to 0.6 cm long. According to Curtis Gates Lloyd, American specimens have thinner spines than European ones. Initially white and turning dark brown at maturity, the spines are often joined at the tips in groups of three or four. In this form, these mushrooms resemble the acorn caps of the cork oak, with which they can easily be confused. The spines shed with age, revealing a reticulated or net-like surface.
The fruiting body has a small off-white or gray-purple base and may be attached to the growing surface by thin white cords (rhizomorphs). The internal contents contain the gleba, a mass of spores and associated spore-forming cells. In young specimens, the gleba is white and firm, but as it ages, it turns yellowish and then brown, eventually becoming purple-brown and powdery. Mature specimens develop a pore on the upper part of the fruiting body through which spores are released when struck by raindrops.
The spores are roughly spherical with warts on the surface and have diameters ranging from 4 to 6 μm. The hairs (coarse, thick-walled hyphae in the gleba) are elastic, brown, contain small pores, and are 5 to 8 μm thick. The basidia (the cells that contain the spores) can be attached to two or four spores, and the sterigmata (tapered, spine-like projections from the basidia that attach the spores) are up to 5 μm long.

Cultivation –
Lycoperdon echinatum is a mushroom for which no information is known regarding the controlled cultivation of the species. Available information concerns only its natural habitat, ecology, and behavior in the wild.

Uses and Traditions –
The species Lycoperdon echinatum was first described by Persoon in 1797. Fries later reclassified it as a variety of Lycoperdon gemmatum (now Lycoperdon perlatum), but in 1879, American mycologist Peck restored it to the status of a distinct species, noting differences in the shape of the warts, the spinier appearance, and the smoother surface of the peridium beneath the spines.
Over time, other names were proposed and later considered synonyms of L. echinatum: Lycoperdon hoylei (described by Berkeley and Broome in 1871, despite a presumed difference in spore color) and Utraria echinata (Quélet, 1873). Lycoperdon americanum, described by Demoulin in 1972, is also considered by several authors to be a synonym of the same species.
Phylogenetic analyses based on rRNA sequences suggest that L. echinatum forms a clade with the genus Handkea, distinct from the type species of the genus Lycoperdon (L. perlatum). Previous studies instead grouped it with L. mammiforme, L. foetidum, and L. radicatum, separating it from L. pyriforme.
Like most other puffball species, L. echinatum is edible when young and while the gleba is still white and firm. Consuming older specimens with a non-white gleba, or where the gleba has transformed into a powdery spore mass, may cause stomach upset. This species has a mild flavor and no discernible odor, although one source describes the odor of the dried fruit bodies as similar to “cured ham.” One source notes that it is “flavorful and tender when cooked,” while another describes the texture (of edible puffballs in general) as “a bit like French toast.” Antonio Carluccio recommends sautéing wolfswords with other mushrooms. To avoid possible confusion with potentially deadly Amanita species, it’s best to slice young wolfswords lengthwise to ensure the pulp is free of internal structures.
From an ecological standpoint, this mushroom is used as a food source by larvae of flies of the Phoridae family.
It is also a threatened species in the Åland Islands (Finland).
In Sweden, populations have declined due to soil acidification.
It can bioaccumulate arsenic (especially arsenobetaine) if grown in contaminated areas.
Regarding its antimicrobial properties, although the cited studies concern Lycoperdon umbrinum, a member of the same genus, some extracts show significant antibacterial activity against various human pathogens.
Terpenoids, potentially relevant for pharmaceutical applications, have been identified.

Preparation –
Lycoperdon echinatum is edible when young, when the internal gleba is white and firm.
It becomes inedible when the gleba turns into a mass of brown spores.
Consuming overly ripe specimens can cause gastrointestinal distress.
It has a delicate flavor, with no particular odor, except in some sources that compare it to cured ham.
The consistency of the edible puffballs is described as similar to French toast.
Among his culinary tips, as mentioned, Antonio Carluccio suggests sautéing puffballs with other mushrooms.
In any case, before use, it is recommended to slice them lengthwise to check their edibility.
They can be sautéed with other mushrooms.
They are best eaten after simple cooking, which makes them tender and flavorful.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Cetto B., 2008. Mushrooms from the truth, Saturnia, Trento.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (eds.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/542571516/original.jpg

Warning: The pharmaceutical applications and dietary uses are provided for informational purposes only and do not in any way constitute medical prescriptions. We therefore decline any responsibility for their use for curative, aesthetic, or nutritional purposes.