Geastrum welwitschii
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 | |
|---|---|
| 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 | |
| |
| Geastrum welwitschii Mycological characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Glebal hymenium | |
| No distinct cap | |
| 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.
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