Easily the most commonly encountered puffball in the PNW, this pear-shaped species features a rounded top giving way to a thinner and often downwardly tapering elongate stipe. The caps are covered with scores of tiny warts that on falling off leave a small depression in the thin skin. Colors range from pinkish white to grayish white to light brown. The interior is filled with a marshmallowy white gleba that undergoes color changes to yellowish, then brown as it dries and forms myriad spores. It is edible when the interior is pure white. At maturity the cap roof splits and opens, releasing puffs of spores in clouds that can often be seen with the naked eye. It is particularly common on disturbed ground such as trailsides and typically fruits in the late summer or fall.