Bovista plumbea Pers.
(Grey Puffball, Lead Balloon, Lead-grey Bovist)

Taxonomic hierarchy:
SpeciesBovista plumbea (Grey Puffball, Lead Balloon, Lead-grey Bovist)
GenusBovista (bovists, balloon fungi)
FamilyAGARICACEAE (mushrooms, dapperlings and parasols, puffballs and bird’s-nests)
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 plumbea (Grey Puffball, Lead Balloon, Lead-grey Bovist) :
1: Bovista plumbea (Grey Puffball, Lead Balloon, Lead-grey Bovist)
10 Oct 2004 OSGR: TQ96 51° 20’ N, 0° 50’ E Vice County: West Kent (VC 16) England
1 mature fruitbody in grass
Image 1: Oblique viewImage 2: Side viewImage 3: Capillitium - thick portion - magnifiedImage 4: Capillitium - thick portion - magnified (2)Image 5: Capillitium - thick portion - magnified (3)Image 6: Capillitium - thin portion - magnifiedImage 7: Spores - magnifiedImage 8: Spores - magnified (2)Image 9: Spores - magnified (3)Image 10: Spores - magnified (4)Image 11: Spores - magnified (5)
2: Bovista plumbea (Grey Puffball, Lead Balloon, Lead-grey Bovist)
20 Nov 1999 OSGR: SU16 51° 20’ N, 1° 50’ W Vice County: North Wilts (VC 7) England
Image 1: Loose fruitbodies on chalk downland
3: Bovista plumbea (Grey Puffball, Lead Balloon, Lead-grey Bovist)
19 Oct 1998 OSGR: SU56 51° 20’ N, 1° 20’ W Vice County: Berks (VC 22) England
Image 1: Fruitbody - mature - LSImage 2: Fruitbody - mature - LS - close-upImage 3: Fruitbody - mature - pore - close-upImage 4: Fruitbody - mature - side viewImage 5: Fruitbody - mature - side view (2)Image 6: Fruitbody - mature - top viewImage 7: Fruitbody - mature - undersideImage 8: CapillitiumImage 9: Capillitium (2)Image 10: Capillitium (3)Image 11: Capillitium (4)Image 12: SporesImage 13: Spores (2)Image 14: Spores and capillitiumImage 15: Spores and capillitium (2)
4: Bovista plumbea (Grey Puffball, Lead Balloon, Lead-grey Bovist)
17 Oct 1979 OSGR: SU83 51° 10’ N, 0° 50’ W Vice County: North Hants (VC 12) England
Image 1: Fruitbody - side viewImage 2: Fruitbody - side view - close-upImage 3: Capillitium - magnifiedImage 4: Spores - highly magnifiedImage 5: Description

Bovista plumbea (Grey Puffball, Lead Balloon, Lead-grey Bovist) may be included in identification literature listed under the following higher taxa:

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

A small puffball (usually no more than an inch in diameter) which is white when young becoming darker as it matures until the exoperidium (outer skin) cracks like the shell of a boiled egg and flakes away exposing the leaden grey or brown endoperidium (inner skin). The spores are released through a slightly protruding opening, which can be round, slit-like or irregular. The fruitbody may become loose at maturity and often blows some distance from where it grew. Widespread and very common in many types of grassland including fertilised lawns.

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