Fungus · GBIF taxon 2535193
Lead-coloured Puffball
Bovista plumbeaAlso known as Tumbling Puffball, Tumbleball, Paltry Puffball
Lead-coloured puffballs emerge as small white spheres anchored to grassy soil by a fine thread of mycelium. As they mature, the outer layer peels away to reveal a smooth, lead-grey papery inner shell with a tiny central pore at the peak. When raindrops or passing feet strike the dry mature shell, clouds of powdery brown spores shoot into the air to drift on the breeze.
FungusPuffballSaprobic
1 / 7—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Dead plant matter
- Organic debris
Predators
- Fungus gnats
- Slugs
- Snails
ThreatsIntensive lawn management and agricultural heavy chemical use
HabitatsPastures, lawns, golf courses, and grassy clearings
Life spanFruiting body lasts several weeks; subterranean mycelium is perennial
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- FamilyLycoperdaceae
- SpeciesBovista plumbea
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Spore Demonstration: Press the papery skin of a dry mature puffball to see a cloud of spores emerge from the top pore.
- Field Spotting: Look in short grass and unfertilized pastures from late summer through late autumn after rainfall.
Look-Alike Close Relative 
Family Member (c) Jacob Weston, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jacob Weston · cc-by
Family Member no rights reserved, uploaded by Yehor Yatsiuk · cc0
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