Star crowned (Geastrum coronatum) photo and description

Crowned starfish (Geastrum coronatum)

Starship crowned (lat. A crowned geastrum) is a fungus of the well-known star family. Scientifically called an earth star. In a ripe mushroom, the outer shell of the fruiting body is torn, because of which it becomes like a large opened star. Among mushroom pickers, it is considered a completely inedible mushroom and is not eaten.

The appearance of the crowned starfish is very peculiar, which distinguishes it from mushrooms of other genera and families. The fungus is considered the closest relative of puffball mushrooms.

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

In appearance, the mushroom is similar to the inedible Shmarda 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 Our Country and the mountain forests of the North Caucasus. It grows well in forests located above sea level.

Crowned starfish is found in autumn in gardens and parks under shrubs and deciduous trees. A favorite place for the settlement of the fungus 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 to professional mushroom pickers.