''Geastrum'' (
orthographical variant In biology, within the science of scientific nomenclature, i.e. the naming of organisms, an orthographical variant (abbreviated orth. var.) in botany or an orthographic error in zoology, is a spelling mistake, typing mistake or writing mistake with ...
''Geaster'')
is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of puffball-like
mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans.
The standard for the name "mushroom" is t ...
s in the family
Geastraceae
Geastrales is an order of gasterocarpic basidiomycetes (fungi) that are related to Cantharellales. The order contains the single family Geastraceae, commonly known as "earthstars", which older classifications had placed in Lycoperdales, or Pha ...
. Many species are known commonly as earthstars.
The name, which comes from ''geo'' meaning ''earth'' and meaning ''star'', refers to the behavior of the outer peridium. At maturity, the outer layer of the fruiting body splits into segments which turn outward creating a star-like pattern on the ground. The inner peridium is called a spore sac. In some species, the outer peridium splits from a middle layer, causing the spore sac to arch off the ground. If the outer peridium opens when wet and closes when dry, it is described as hygroscopic.
In some species, the inner peridium is borne on a stalk or pedicel. The columella is a column-like clump of sterile tissue found inside the inner peridium. The network of fertile tissue inside the inner peridium, the
capillitium
Capillitium (pl. capillitia) is a mass of sterile fibers within a fruit body interspersed among spores. It is found in Mycetozoa (slime molds) and gasteroid fungi of the fungal subdivision Agaricomycotina
The subdivision Agaricomycotina, also kn ...
, arises from the columella And is where
basidia
A basidium () is a microscopic sporangium (a spore-producing structure) found on the hymenophore of fruiting bodies of basidiomycete fungi which are also called tertiary mycelium, developed from secondary mycelium. Tertiary mycelium is highly-c ...
and
basidiospores
A basidiospore is a reproductive spore produced by Basidiomycete fungi, a grouping that includes mushrooms, shelf fungi, rusts, and smuts. Basidiospores typically each contain one haploid nucleus that is the product of meiosis, and they are pro ...
are produced. The mouth in most species of "earth-stars" is quite prominent, often arising as a small cone at the apex of the inner peridium. It may be even or sulcate (grooved).
They are generally not toxic but considered non-edible due to their fibrous texture in the mature stage at which they are generally found.
Species
Although the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (2008) estimated roughly 50 species in ''Geastrum'',
a more recent estimate (2014) suggests that there may be up to 120 species.
''Geastrum coronatum'' Pers. has been proposed as the conserved type for the genus.
Some similar species that are otherwise difficult to differentiate using classical
morphological features (such as ''G. triplex'', ''G. saccatum'', and ''G. lageniforme'') can be identified using
chemical spot tests that detect
phenoloxidase
Polyphenol oxidase (PPO; also polyphenol oxidase i, chloroplastic), an enzyme involved in Browning (food process), fruit browning, is a tetramer that contains four atoms of copper per molecule.
PPO may accept monophenol , monophenols and/or ...
enzymatic activity, a
differences in the crystal structure of
calcium oxalate
Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydrate ...
deposits
or DNA sequences. Species include:
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Geastrum aculeatum''
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Geastrum albonigrum''
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Geastrum andrewsii''
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Geastrum argentatum
''Geastrum'' (orthographical variant ''Geaster'') is a genus of puffball-like mushrooms in the family Geastraceae. Many species are known commonly as earthstars.
The name, which comes from ''geo'' meaning ''earth'' and meaning ''star'', refers ...
''
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Geastrum argentinum''
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Geastrum australe''
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Geastrum austrominimum''
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Geastrum benitoi''
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Geastrum britannicum
''Geastrum britannicum'' is a fungal species in the family Geastraceae. Its recommended English name is vaulted earthstar. Like other earthstars, the basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are initially globose. Their thick outer skin splits open at maturit ...
''
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Geastrum berkeleyi''
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Geastrum bushnellii''
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Geastrum campestre''
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Geastrum clelandii''
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Geastrum congolense''
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Geastrum corollinum''
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Geastrum coronatum
''Geastrum coronatum'' is an inedible species of mushroom belonging to the genus ''Geastrum'', or earthstar fungi. Christian Hendrik Persoon published the first description
Description is the pattern of narrative development that aims to make ...
''
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Geastrum dissimile
''Geastrum'' (orthographical variant ''Geaster'') is a genus of puffball-like mushrooms in the family Geastraceae. Many species are known commonly as earthstars.
The name, which comes from ''geo'' meaning ''earth'' and meaning ''star'', refers ...
''
* ''
Geastrum drummondii
''Geastrum'' (orthographical variant ''Geaster'') is a genus of puffball-like mushrooms in the family Geastraceae. Many species are known commonly as earthstars.
The name, which comes from ''geo'' meaning ''earth'' and meaning ''star'', refers ...
''
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Geastrum dubowskii''
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Geastrum echinulatum''
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Geastrum elegans''
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Geastrum elliptice''
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Geastrum entomophilum''
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Geastrum episcopale''
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Geastrum fimbriatum
''Geastrum fimbriatum'', commonly known as the fringed earthstar or the sessile earthstar, is an inedible species of mushroom belonging to the genus ''Geastrum'', or earthstar fungi. First described in 1829, the species has a widespread distributi ...
''
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Geastrum flexuosum''
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Geastrum floriforme''
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Geastrum fornicatum
''Geastrum fornicatum'', common name known as the acrobatic earthstar or the arched earthstar, is an inedible species of mushroom in the family ''Geastraceae''. Like other earthstar mushrooms, the thick outer skin splits open at maturity to expos ...
''
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Geastrum fuscogleba''
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Geastrum hieronymi''
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Geastrum hirsutum''
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Geastrum huneckii''
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Geastrum hungaricum''
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Geastrum inpaense'' – Brazil
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Geastrum kotlabae''
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Geastrum kuharii''
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Geastrum lageniforme''
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Geastrum leptospermum''
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Geastrum lilloi''
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Geastrum litchiforme''
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Geastrum lloydianum''
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Geastrum magnosporum''
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Geastrum melanocephalum''
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Geastrum meridionale''
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Geastrum minimum''
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Geastrum mirabile''
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Geastrum morganii''
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Geastrum ovalisporum''
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Geastrum oxylobum''
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Geastrum papinuttii''
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Geastrum parvisporum''
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Geastrum parvistriatum''
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Geastrum pectinatum''
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Geastrum pleosporus''
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Geastrum pouzarii''
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Geastrum pseudolimbatum''
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Geastrum quadrifidum
''Geastrum quadrifidum'', commonly known as the rayed earthstar or four-footed earthstar, is an inedible species of mushroom belonging to the genus ''Geastrum'', or earthstar fungi. First described scientifically by Christian Hendrik Persoon i ...
''
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Geastrum reticulatum''
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Geastrum rhizophorum''
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Geastrum rufescens''
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Geastrum rugulosum''
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Geastrum rusticum'' – Brazil
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Geastrum saccatum
''Geastrum saccatum'', commonly known as the rounded earthstar, is a species of mushroom belonging to the genus '' Geastrum''. It has a worldwide distribution and is found growing on rotting wood. It is considered inedible by mushroomers becaus ...
''
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Geastrum schmidelii''
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Geastrum schweinitzii''
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Geastrum senoretiae''
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Geastrum setiferum''
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Geastrum smardae''
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Geastrum smithii''
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Geastrum stiptatum''
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Geastrum striatum''
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Geastrum subiculosum''
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Geastrum tichifer''
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Geastrum triplex
''Geastrum triplex'' is a fungus found in the detritus and leaf litter of hardwood forests around the world. It is commonly known as the collared earthstar, the saucered earthstar, or the triple earthstar—and less commonly by the alternativ ...
''
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Geastrum velutinum''
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Geastrum verrucoramulosum''
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Geastrum welwitschii
''Geastrum welwitschii'' is a species of fungus in the earthstar family. 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) spl ...
''
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Geastrum xerophilum''
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Geastrum xylogenum''
References
Sources
New Zealand SpeciesBritish SpeciesCzech Species and Photos*
*
Ponce de Leon, Patricio, A Revision of the Family Geastraceae, Field Museum of Natural History 1968*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q687050
Agaricomycetes genera