Bovista nigrescens Pers.
(Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesBovista nigrescens (Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist)
GenusBovista (bovists, balloon fungi)
FamilyAGARICACEAE (mushrooms, dapperlings and parasols, agaric)
OrderAGARICALES (mushrooms and toadstools)
SubclassAGARICOMYCETIDAE (a subclass of basidiomycetes)
ClassAGARICOMYCETES (a class of fungi)
SubphylumAGARICOMYCOTINA (a subphylum of fungi)
PhylumBASIDIOMYCOTA (spore droppers, basidiomycetes)
KingdomFUNGI (true fungi)
DomainEukaryota (eukaryotes)
LifeBIOTA (living things)
Records of Bovista nigrescens (Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist) :
1: Bovista nigrescens (Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist)
29 Sep 2004 OSGR: SX76 50° 30’ N, 3° 50’ W Vice County: South Devon (VC 3) England
Two fruitbodies in grass
Image 1: Side view - close-upImage 2: Top view - close-upImage 3: Capillitium and ends - magnifiedImage 4: Capillitium ends - magnifiedImage 5: Capillitium - magnifiedImage 6: Capillitium - magnified (2)Image 7: Spores - magnifiedImage 8: Spores - magnified (2)Image 9: Spores - magnified (3)Image 10: Spores - magnified (4)Image 11: Spores - magnified (5)Image 12: Spores - magnified (6)
2: Bovista nigrescens (Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist)
11 Feb 1999 OSGR: SU67 51° 30’ N, 1° 0’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: Apical pore - close-upImage 2: FruitbodyImage 3: Fruitbody - attachment pointImage 4: Fruitbody - LSImage 5: Fruitbody - undersideImage 6: Peridium - close-upImage 7: CapillitiumImage 8: Capillitium - branchingImage 9: Capillitium - branching (2)Image 10: Capillitium endingImage 11: SporesImage 12: Spores (2)Image 13: Spores (3)
3: Bovista nigrescens (Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist)
24 Jul 1983 OSGR: SU39 51° 40’ N, 1° 30’ W Vice County: Oxon (VC 23) England
Image 1: Fruitbody - side view - close-upImage 2: Fruitbody - top view - close-upImage 3: Underside, upper side and hole in grass where it was growingImage 4: Spores - highly magnifiedImage 5: DescriptionImage 6: Description - contd

Bovista nigrescens (Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

NBNNBN (data.nbn.org.uk) has a distribution map for Bovista nigrescens (Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist)
BioInfoBioInfo (www.bioinfo.org.uk) has 0 host/parasite/foodplant and/or other relationships for Bovista nigrescens (Brown Puffball, Brown Balloon, Brown Bovist)

A medium-sized puffball (usually at least an inch in diameter) which is white when young becoming darker as it matures until the exoperidium (outer skin) flakes away exposing the brown endoperidium (inner skin). This then splits forming a slit or irregular opening through which the spores are released. The fruitbody may become loose at maturity and often blows some distance from where it grew. Widespread and common in many types of grassland including fertilised lawns.

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