Collared earthstar
Geastrum triplex Jungh. 1840
50.8843, 5.98617
Field Notes
Description:
This large earthstar features very thick arms that often develop cracks and fissures as they bend, eventually splitting so that the spore case appears to be sitting on a saucer that is held up by the curled arms. However, Geastrum triplex doesn't always form a saucer, and other distinguishing features must then be matched for accurate identification: the large size; the pronounced "beak" on young specimens; the fuzzy opening in the spore case (which is usually surrounded by a paler area); and the fact that the mushroom is attached to the substrate only at the base
( http://www.mushroomexpert.com/geastrum_triplex.html )
Habitat:
location: North America, Europe
edibility: Inedible
fungus colour: White to cream
normal size: 5-15cm
cap type: Other
stem type: Lateral, rudimentary or absent
spore colour: Light to dark brown
habitat: Grows in woods, Grows on the ground
Geastrum triplex Jung. Kragen-Erdstern, Géastre à trois couches, Collard Earthstar. Fruit body 3–5cm across when unopened and bulb-shaped, opening to 5–10cm across, outer wall splitting into 4–8 pointed rays and covered in a thick, pinkish-brown, fleshy layer which cracks as the rays bend back under the fruit body leaving the spore sac sitting in a saucer-like base. Spore sac sessile, pale grey-brown with a paler ring round the slightly raised mouth. Spores dark brown, globose, warted, 3.5–4.5um in diameter. Habitat amongst leaf litter in deciduous woods. Season late summer to autumn. Occasional, perhaps the most common member of the genus in Europe. Not edible. Distribution, America and Europe
( http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~5955.asp )
Notes:
Earthstars were used medicinally by Native American Indians. The Blackfoot called them ka-ka-toos, meaning "fallen stars", and according to legend, they were an indication of supernatural events. The Cherokee put fruit bodies on the navels of babies after childbirth until the withered umbilical cord fell off, "both as a prophylactic and a therapeutic measure". In traditional Chinese medicine, G. triplex is used to reduce inflammation in the respiratory tract, and to staunch bleeding and reduce swelling ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geastrum_triplex#In_traditional_medicine ), ( http://healing-mushrooms.net/archives/geastrum-triplex.html ), ( http://www.mycobank.org/MycoTaxo.aspx?Link=T&Rec=119601 ),( http://www.soortenbank.nl/soorten.php?soortengroep=paddenstoelen&id=316 ),
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