Geastrum fornicatum

Geastrum fornicatum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Geastrales
Family: Geastraceae
Genus: Geastrum
Species:
G. fornicatum
Binomial name
Geastrum fornicatum
(Huds.) Hook. (1821)
Synonyms
  • Geastrum multifidum Pers. (1794)
  • Lycoperdon fornicatum Huds. (1821)
  • Geastrum fornicatum var. multifidum (Pers.) Fr. (1829)
  • Plecostoma fornicatum (Huds.) Corda (1842)
Geastrum fornicatum
View the Mycomorphbox template that generates the following list
Glebal hymenium
No distinct cap
Hymenium attachment is not applicable
Lacks a stipe
Spore print is brown
Ecology is saprotrophic
Edibility is inedible

Geastrum fornicatum, commonly 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, exposing the spore sac to the elements. It is found in the southwest United States.

Taxonomy

When first described in the late 17th century, the species was called Fungus anthropomorphus due to its resemblance to the human figure.[1] In 1799, English naturalist James Sowerby wrote:

So strange a vegetable has surprised many; and in the year 1695 it was published under the name of Fungus Anthropomorphus, and figured with human faces on the head. It is at first roundish; in ripening the head bursts through the two coats or wrappers; the inner wrapper, detaching itself from the outer, becomes inverted, connected only by the edges; the coats most constantly split into four parts.[2]

The specific epithet fornicatum (Latin for 'arched' or 'vaulted')[3] refers to the arched shape of the rays which extend downwards to rest on the mycelial sac and elevate the spore sac.

Description

The immature fruit body is roughly spherical in shape, typically 1–4 centimetres (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 inches) in diameter, and dark brown in color.[4] At maturity, the exoperidium (outer layer) splits into four to five rays which curve backwards so as to elevate the fruit body and raise the spore sac for optimal spore dispersal; the tips of the rays remain attached to a basal cup.[5] The spore sac contains an ostiole, a small opening near the apex. The mature fruiting body may be up to 6 cm (2+1⁄4 in) in diameter and 8 cm (3+1⁄4 in) tall. The exoperidium is attached to the soil by rhizomorphs. The spores are spherical, warted, thick-walled, nonamyloid and 5–6 μm;[6] when young, they are white and firm, but produce a dark-brown color spore print in maturity.[7]

  • Growing under an oak in California
    Growing under an oak in California

Similar species

Similar species include Geastrum minimum and Geastrum quadrifidum.[4]

Distribution and habitat

The uncommon fungus can be found singly or in small groups in the southwest United States between October and March. It usually grows under bushes and trees in deciduous woods, but not in too deeply wooded areas.[7][8]

Uses

Methanol extracts of G. fornicatum have been shown to have antimicrobial properties, inhibiting the growth of various bacteria that are pathogenic to humans, including Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, and Streptococcus pyogenes, as well as the fungi Candida albicans, Rhodotorula rubra, and Kluyveromyces fragilis.[9]

It is inedible.[10]

References

  1. ^ "waynesword.palomar.edu". Archived from the original on 2008-12-24. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  2. ^ Sowerby, James (1799). Coloured Figures of English Fungi Or Mushrooms. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  3. ^ "Latin Word Definition and Information for: fornicatus, fornicata, fornicatum -- LATdict Latin Dictionary & Resources". Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  4. ^ a b Davis, R. Michael; Sommer, Robert; Menge, John A. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 369–371. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. OCLC 797915861.
  5. ^ Miller HR, Miller OK. (1988). Gasteromycetes: Morphological and Developmental Features, with Keys to the Orders, Families, and Genera. Eureka, California: Mad River Press. ISBN 0-916422-74-7.
  6. ^ Miller HR, Miller OK. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, Connecticut: Falcon Guide. p. 446. ISBN 0-7627-3109-5. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  7. ^ a b Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 112. ISBN 978-0-593-31998-7.
  8. ^ Ellis JB, Ellis MB. (1990). Fungi without Gills (Hymenomycetes and Gasteromycetes): an Identification Handbook. London: Chapman and Hall. p. 228. ISBN 0-412-36970-2.
  9. ^ Dulger B. (2005). "Antimicrobial activity of ten Lycoperdaceae". Fitoterapia. 76 (3–4): 352–354. doi:10.1016/j.fitote.2005.02.004. PMID 15890468.
  10. ^ Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 336. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.