Starfish black-headed (geastrum black-headed): what it looks like, where and how it grows, edible or not

Botanical characteristic

As it ripens, the outer shell of the fruiting body breaks, as a result of which the mushroom becomes similar to an asterisk, which has several spongy rays adjacent to the central part. Over time, the radial processes acquire a dark color and often disappear.

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Mushrooms - Fungi
Earth star topped with Geastrum coronatum Pers. (1801)

Status: 3 (R). Rare view.

Short description.

The open fruit body is 4 - 4.5 cm in diameter. Exoperidium breaks almost to the middle into 7-10 unequal, tapering, sharp blades, wrapped only at the end, leathery, not hygroscopic, brittle.

Outside, the blades are inlaid with adhering particles of the substrate, in older specimens they are almost smooth, fresh from the inside dark brown, dry gray, smooth or cracking ..

Endoperidium up to 2.7 cm high and 2 - 3 cm in diameter, spherical or obovate, slightly flattened at the apex, almost smooth, with a pedicle and apophysis, gray, less often from light to dark brown. The leg of the endoperidium is up to 4 mm high and up to 6 mm thick.

The pinnate is clear, slightly protruding, conical, fibrous, silky ciliate, often lighter than exoperidium, with a clearly delimited annular courtyard, less often without it. Gleb is purple-brown. Columella is almost absent. Spores are spherical, warty, blackish-brown, 4–5 (6) µm in diameter. Capillary hyphae are unbranched, light brown, 4 - 6 µm thick, thinning towards the ends.

Spreading.

In the Krasnoyarsk Territory: the outskirts of the city of Krasnoyarsk. In Russia: the European part of Russia, the Caucasus. In the world: Central Asia, countries of Eastern and Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America.

Ecology and biology.

Soil saprotroph, found in coniferous and deciduous forests.

Limiting factors. Habitat disruption due to deforestation.

Security measures. Not defined.

Sources of information. Red Data Book of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. 1. Sosin, 1973; 2. Shvartsman, Filimonova, 1970; 3. Beglyanova, 1971; 4. Kutafieva - personal message; 5. Stepanov - personal message; 6. Data of the originator. Compiled by O.E. Kryuchkov. Drawing: V.S.Stepanov, N.V. Stepanov.

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28.11.2015 08:36:39

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Doubles and their differences

The vaulted starfish has a peculiar appearance and structure that distinguishes it from other mushrooms. But the Zvezdovikov family includes several more species, with which it is very easy to confuse.

Fringed starfish (Geastrum fimbriatum) - refers to inedible, the outer shell has a cream or light brown color. Over time, it breaks up into 6-7 blades, which bend downward, forming legs. The spores settle in a ball surrounded by a bowl of pulp.

The fringed starfish differs from the vaulted starlet by the absence of a leg that connects the spore-bearing body with a stand

Crowned starfish (Geastrum coronatum) is an inedible mushroom with several rays of gray or light brown color, on which the spore-bearing part is attached. The spherical body tapers upward, forming a sharp stomata, and is attached to a short thick stalk.

It differs from the vaulted starlet in a darker color of the core

Small starfish (Geastrum minimum) - is inedible, grows on calcareous soil and matures underground. The most common in the steppes, forest edges and clearings. The body has the shape of a ball, the shell cracks and opens into 6-12 narrow rays, forming a star-shaped support. The spore body is spherical, has a small tip at the apex and is attached to a short (2-3 mm) leg.

Unlike the vaulted starfish, the core of the mushroom has the same light shade as the legs.

Starfish striatum (Geastrum striatum) is an inedible saprotroph that grows on desert soil and decaying remains of grass and trees. During the ripening period, the body of the mushroom has a teardrop shape and is completely hidden under the ground. The outer part bursts and splits into several rays of light brown or creamy color. In their center there is a spherical cavity with spores that exit through the upper stomata.

The beams of the tiger starfish are covered with deep cracks that look like stripes.

Starfire crowned

Crowned starfish (Geastrum coronatum)

Crowned starfish (lat.Geastrum coronatum) is a fungus of the famous Starfish family. Scientifically called an earthen star. In a mature mushroom, the outer shell of the fruiting body is torn, which makes it look like a large open star. Among mushroom pickers, it is considered a completely inedible mushroom and is not eaten.

The type of crowned starfish is very peculiar, which distinguishes it from mushrooms of other genera and families. The mushroom is considered the closest relative of raincoat mushrooms.

The spherical fruiting bodies of a young fungus are completely underground. When, during the growth of the fungus, the outer fruit part of the shell cracks, pointed blades of the fungus appear on the surface of the earth. They are painted gray with a predominance of matte sheen. Between these lobes is an elongated mushroom neck, on which there is a brownish fruit ball with a stomata in the upper part, through which spores are thrown out. The spherical spores of the starfish are dark brown. The leg, traditional for all mushrooms, is absent in this species.

In appearance, the mushroom is similar to the inedible Schmarda mushroom star (Geastrum smardae). But her blades of a light colored mushroom body can flake off.

The distribution area is the forests of the European part of Russia and the mountain forests of the North Caucasus. Grows well in forests above sea level.

Crowned starlet is found in the autumn period in gardens and parks under shrubs and deciduous trees.A favorite place for the fungus to settle is sandy and clay soil, covered with a variety of low grasses.

Due to its unusual structure and rather rare appearance, it is of scientific interest for professional mushroom pickers.

Varieties

The Zvezdovik family contains a number of edible and unsuitable for culinary purposes.

Edible

The vaulted starfish, or Geastrum fornicatum, is eaten.

The fruiting body is spherical. The shade is yellow-brown. Partially buried in soil. At the stage of maturity, it cracks into curling blades. The inner part is gray, at the stage of active fruiting it becomes chocolate.

Only young mushrooms are suitable for collection.

The pulp is light; as it grows, it coarsens and turns into a dark brown spore mass.

Suitable for use at a young age, as long as the mushroom retains its spherical appearance. It is used without preliminary heat treatment.

Conditionally edible

It has a low nutritional value, does not possess a pronounced smell and taste, a conditionally edible Schmidel variety, or Geastrum schmidelii.

The diameter of the fruiting body is up to 8 cm. The shape is initially round, in a mature mushroom it is stellate inherent in the family. The spore-bearing ball is crowned with a tapered tip.

Grows on desert soils and decayed wood residues in mixed forest areas. Fruiting in August.

Inedible

• Triple, or Geastrum triplex. The shape of young fruit bodies is rounded with a pointed tubercle, similar to a bulb. Height up to 5 cm, diameter up to 3.5 cm. In a mature mushroom, the body is revealed by a two-layer shell up to 12 cm wide. The shape of the inner center is in the form of a cupped collar under a flattened outer sessile shell. The color at the stage of full maturation is beige or terracotta. Spores are globular, brown in color. The structure of the outer pulp is compacted, leathery, the inner one is fragile and soft. Grows in deciduous and mixed forest belts. Grows in large groups of coniferous and leaf litter. Fruiting occurs at the end of summer and autumn.
• Striped, or Geastrum striatum. Young, bulbous fruiting bodies are located underground. As it matures, the mushroom shell bursts, dividing the mushroom into pointed blades and a head with a granular structure and a tapered striped tip. The color of an adult specimen is milky. The spores are brown. Grows on wilderness areas, decaying stumps and tree trunks in mixed forests, park areas. More often found under oak and ash trees. Fruiting from summer to autumn.
• Crowned, or Geastrum coronatum. The fruiting body is spherical. When cracked, it is divided into sharp-pointed gray blades with a matte sheen and a central spherical part of a brown tint. Spores are dark brown. Fruiting occurs in autumn. Occurs in gardens and park areas on sandy and clayey soils among grass.
• Fringed, or Geastrum fimbriatum. Initially, the shape of the fruiting body is spherical; at the stage of maturity, the three-layer dense shell breaks into a gray spore-bearing ball and yellow-brown star-like lobes, which twist when exiting the ground. Fruiting from the beginning of August. It grows on alkaline soils in coniferous and deciduous forests in large groups, often with witch's rings.
• Small, or Geastrum minimum. It differs from all in small size. The shape of the fruit body in young mushrooms is spherical. Diameter up to 1.8 cm, unfolded - up to 3.5 cm. Color gray with beige. The apex is crowned with a conical tubercle. The spores are brown. Grows on limestones in the steppe and forest edges.
• Black-headed, Geastrum melanocephalum. The shape of young mushrooms is spherical, pear-shaped or bulbous. Width up to 7 cm. Color from milky to brown. Star-shaped blades and a spore-bearing ball with a shaggy surface. Differs in complete exposure of the gleba when the inner shell is destroyed.The pulp is initially firm, becoming fibrous and powdery as it matures, the color is dark brown. Prefers humus soils. It grows in deciduous forest belts among maples and ash trees.
• Four-lobed, or Geastrum quadrifidum. The shape of the fruiting body is initially spherical, up to 2 cm in diameter, in adulthood - up to 5 cm. The peridium consists of 4 layers. The outer mycelium is whitish with a felt structure. Medium smooth, fibrous. Inner white, in a mature mushroom, it breaks into pointed lobes and a central part that is understood upwards. Gleb powdery color, black purple or brown. Grows on sandstones in pine, spruce and deciduous forests. Fruiting occurs in August-October.

Small starlet description

The fruit body of the small starlet, like other members of the family, develops underground. At first, the fruiting body is spherical, its diameter, as the name implies, is small - 0.3-1.8 centimeters.

Over time, the outer shell of the fruiting body splits into 6-12 rays, but the average number of rays is, as a rule, 8 pieces. In this state, the maximum diameter of the fruiting body reaches 1.5-3 or rarely 5 centimeters. The fruiting body is located first horizontally, and then it rises slightly on the rays, while the gap between the rays and the fungus is filled with mycelium.

The color of the rays is gray-beige. Over time, the surface of the mushrooms cracks, and a lighter inner layer becomes noticeable. In the upper part of the fruiting body there is an opening with a conical proboscis. Mature gleba is powdery, brown in color. Spores are warty, globular, brown in color.

Places of growth of small starfish

Small starfish settle on calcareous soils. They can be found on forest edges and clearings, and they also grow in the steppes.

Inedible species

The star family are mostly inedible species of mushrooms, at the same time they are not poisonous. Often, representatives of this family are used in traditional medicine.

1. The triple earthen star is a mushroom slightly different from related species, which is characterized by a double layer of the outer shell. When ripe, the surface bursts into pieces, forming an unequal number of rays, and the inner one turns into a kind of border framing the spore-bearing body, thus forming a bowl. The color of the mushroom body is from light beige to brownish.
2. Striped starfish - as well as the form described above, has characteristic differences. The mycelium of this type of mushroom is located not like most representatives of this family - under the surface of the earth, but above it. As the specimens mature, the fruiting body forms long, creamy rays that give the mushroom the shape of a star. Over time, these rays crack and darken significantly. An elongated spore-bearing body of small size is located on a small and rather powerful stalk. Differs in a characteristic gray color with a light bloom. The central part is divided by stripes.
3. Fringed starlet is a mushroom whose fruit body is partially hidden under the ground. The outer shell of a brownish tint, as a rule, bursts into 6-7 parts bent to the bottom. The sphere with spores is gray; there is a weakly outlined bowl (courtyard) bordering it.
4. Crowned starfish is a mushroom with gray rays having a matte shade. The spore-bearing part is located on a thin and rather short stalk. The immediate central part is darker than star-like.
5. Small star - the smallest geastrum in size. The parts of the outer shell, as a rule, are divided into a fairly large number of parts (up to 12). The color of the rays is light beige, they crack over time, exposing the lighter inner part. The spore body is gray, darkens with maturation, at the apex there is an elongated proboscis.
6. The black-headed geastrum is a subspecies of the family that has significant differences.At the beginning of growth, the body of the fungus resembles such a species as a raincoat, which has a characteristic light color of the fruiting body; as it grows, the shell divides into parts (up to 8), opening the body of the spore-bearing ball. Note that the inner part of the rays is covered with dark mature spores, which are carried by the wind in bad weather.
7. Four-pointed earthen star - this species, like many of its congeners, during the ripening period raises the fruit body above the surface of the soil. The color of the fruit body is gray-white, spore-bearing - gray.

spherical sarcosoma - description, where it grows, the toxicity of the fungus

Zvezdovik (geastrum)

Seeing an asterisk on which something round sits, even experienced mushroom pickers are amazed, starting to wonder if such a miracle has flown into the Russian forest from another planet. Zvezdniks are rare mushrooms, and people don't always notice them - simply because of their focus on the classic image of a mushroom as a cap on a stem. A round ball on an asterisk does not fit into the usual concept, and the gaze of the miners slips by. Meanwhile, starfish are some of the most unusual mushrooms in the world. There is no need to collect them, but it is interesting to stop and admire this freak of nature.

The Latin name for starfish - Geastrum (geastrum) - connects two roots: "earth" and "star". Starfishes settle on dense leafy lining or vegetation debris. Referring to saprotrophs, starfish close the circuits of the cycle of substances, processing plant organic matter and returning inorganic compounds to the soil, which can be used by living trees as nutrients.

The young mushroom has a peculiar shell. As it grows, it breaks, forming a stellate structure that lifts the spore sac. It turns out an exotic mushroom, which is difficult to recognize as such.

Celebrities live all over the world and almost everywhere. Some species prefer open and high places under deciduous trees, others choose dark coniferous thickets, there is. Colonies of fungi can exist in one place for many years, since spores are well preserved in a dense round sac on top. Often, in place of one mushroom, the next one sprouts. And if you find one starlet, several more can be found within a radius of several meters.

Some species of starfish are edible at a young age; the fruit body with a shell can be eaten even raw. But the expediency of such eating, generally speaking, is questionable. And the definition of the species is a difficult task even for specialists. It's easier not to risk leaving the stars in their place.

The stars shown in the pictures in this post were not found in the forest or even in the park. They were almost accidentally discovered in the city, during a leisurely walk along an uncrowded path along the industrial zone. From the pictures on the Internet, I identified the mushroom found as striped starfish. Its distinguishing feature is the characteristic cracked stripes on the asterisk. But it is possible that this is a fringed starfish or some other representative of the family.

Zvezdoviks are essentially raincoats, the round pouch at the top contains spores, and just like other ripe raincoats, you can “puff” on them. The brown "smoke" coming out from above is the spore.

Text - Lazy Summer Resident, photo - Anton Ageev