Grassland Puffball vs Hedgehog Puffball

Lycoperdon lividum compared with Lycoperdon echinatum

Key Differences

• Grassland Puffball is Least Concern while Hedgehog Puffball is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Grassland Puffball	Hedgehog Puffball
Kingdom same	Fungi (Fungi)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum same	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class same	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order same	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family same	Lycoperdaceae	Lycoperdaceae
Genus same	Lycoperdon	Lycoperdon
Species	Lycoperdon lividum	Lycoperdon echinatum

Evolutionary Relationship

Grassland Puffball and Hedgehog Puffball share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Lycoperdon.

Conservation Status

Grassland Puffball

LC — Least Concern

Hedgehog Puffball

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Grassland Puffball	Hedgehog Puffball
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Grassland Puffball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and South America (Brazil).

Hedgehog Puffball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden