Geastrum welwitschii
Species of fungus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Geastrum welwitschii is a species of fungus in the earthstar family. First collected from Spain in the mid-19th century, the fungus is distributed in Europe, North America, and Bermuda.
Geastrum welwitschii | |
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Left: type specimen; right: specimen collected in Florida, and kept at the herbarium of the Department of Agriculture, Washington | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Basidiomycota |
Class: | Agaricomycetes |
Order: | Geastrales |
Family: | Geastraceae |
Genus: | Geastrum |
Species: | G. welwitschii |
Binomial name | |
Geastrum welwitschii Mont. (1856) | |
Synonyms | |
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Geastrum welwitschii | |
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Glebal hymenium | |
No distinct cap | |
Hymenium attachment is not applicable | |
Lacks a stipe | |
Spore print is brown | |
Ecology is saprotrophic | |
Edibility is inedible |
When young and unopened, the fruit bodies resemble small spheres lying in the soil. As the mushroom matures, the thick leathery outer layer of tissue (the peridium) splits star-like to form a number of fleshy arms, which curve downward to reveal the inner spore sac that contains the fertile tissue known as the gleba. The spore sac has a narrow grooved opening at the top where the spores are released. Fully expanded, the fruit bodies are up to 35 mm (1+3⁄8 in) wide and 58 mm (2+1⁄4 in) tall.