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Earth Star

Description:

These curious looking things are actually a soil fungus. The fruiting body is shaped like a stomach shaped sac that are filled with tiny spores. Young, closed earth stars are onion shaped, and their skin is made up of three layers. When it rains, the outer two layers uncurl forming a star. They split apart with enough force to push aside leaves, raising the sac above surrounding debris. The rays close when they dry and the sac lowers. When a raindrop hits the sac, it causes the spores to be released. Apparently not all of the spores, because I curiously squeezed a desiccated one and it coated my hand with black dust! Kinda freaked me out.

Notes:

These star shaped fungi were sprinkled along a dune trail at Cape Henlopen State Park. I had never seen anything like it before - looked like something from outer space. I don't know the exact species - help?

1 Species ID Suggestions

EduHerNav
EduHerNav 10 years ago
Earthstar
Geastrum sp.


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4 Comments

EduHerNav
EduHerNav 10 years ago

Im not sure about the species with only a picture... I'll need some other shots to see another things like a stipe or the shape...

Dan Doucette
Dan Doucette 11 years ago

Nice! I spotted a very cool earthstar in China.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/105...

SabinNeatu
SabinNeatu 11 years ago

Which is not helpful at all, sorry.

SabinNeatu
SabinNeatu 11 years ago

I can only tell you that this is a Geastrum sp.

audrey.m.archer
Spotted by
audrey.m.archer

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, USA

Spotted on Aug 17, 2012
Submitted on Aug 17, 2012

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