Geastrum berkeleyi, or Berkeley's earthstar, is an inedible species of mushroom belonging to the genus Geastrum, or earthstar fungi. It can be distinguished from other Geastrum species by the flat bipyramidal shape of the calcium oxalate crystals found on its endoperidium.[1]
| Geastrum berkeleyi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Geastrales |
| Family: | Geastraceae |
| Genus: | Geastrum |
| Species: | G. berkeleyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Geastrum berkeleyi Massee (1889)
| |
Geastrum berkeleyi | |
|---|---|
 | Glebal hymenium |
 | No distinct cap |
 | Spore print is brown |
 | Ecology is saprotrophic |
 | Edibility is inedible |
Despite being a very uncommon mushroom, it has a wide geographical distribution, having been documented in Northern and Eastern Europe as well as Eastern Asia.
Distribution
editEuropean countries it is found in include Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Great Britain, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland,[2] Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey. In Asia, it can be found in China and Japan.[2]
The species was thought extinct in Poland until it was discovered growing in a reserve near Chęciny.[2]
References
edit- ^ Krisai, I; Mrazek, Ernst (September 1986). "Calcium oxalate crystals in Geastrum". Plant Systematics and Evolution. 154 (3–4): 325–341. doi:10.1007/bf00990131. S2CID 30524043.
- ^ a b c Jaworska, J (2011). "A new record of the rare earthstar Geastrum berkeleyi from the Świętokrzyskie Mts". Acta Mycologica. 46 (1): 75–81. doi:10.5586/am.2011.004. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
External links
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