Striped Starfish (Geastrum striatum)
- Division: Basidiomycota (Basidiomycetes)
- Subdivision: Agaricomycotina (Agaricomycetes)
- Class: Agaricomycetes (Agaricomycetes)
- Subclass: Phallomycetidae (Velkovye)
- Order: Geastrales (Geastral)
- Family: Geastraceae (Geastraceae or Stars)
- Genus: Geastrum (Geastrum or Zvezdovik)
- Type: Geastrum striatum (Striped starfish)
Starfish striped (lat. Geastrum striated) belongs to the Star family. It got its name because of the strong similarity in appearance with a large star. It has such a peculiar shape that it is almost impossible to confuse it with other types of mushrooms. This species belongs to fungi – saprotrophs, which settle on desert soil or on decomposed stumps and tree trunks. It occurs in summer and autumn in mixed forests, parks and gardens. Prefers to settle under oak and ash. Among mushroom pickers, this mushroom is considered inedible.
The fruiting body of the striped starfish at an early age is located underground in the form of a bulbous shape. As the fungus grows, the outer mushroom shell cracks, with the appearance of cream-colored pointed lobes on the surface. The dense neck of the mushroom in a white powdery coating holds a fruit ball with spores. In the ball there is a hole in the form of a stomata, designed to release spores. Spherical spores have a rich brown color. Due to their leathery structure, spores can be stored at their place of growth for quite a long time. The mushroom has a granular head and a conical striped tip. The fungus in this species is located on the surface of the earth, and not traditionally under it. The mushroom body does not have a pronounced taste and smell.
The striped starfish is one of the ten most unusual mushrooms in the world.
It is well known to professional mushroom pickers, but it rarely hits them due to its low prevalence. The mushroom does not have nutritional value, as it is inedible, but it is of great interest to world scientists involved in the study of the modern diversity of wild mushrooms.