Geastrum quadrifidum

Geastrum quadrifidum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Geastrales
Family:	Geastraceae
Genus:	Geastrum
Species:	G. quadrifidum
Binomial name
Geastrum quadrifidum Pers.:Pers.
Synonyms[2]
Lycoperdon coronatum Schaeff. Lycoperdon coronatum Scop. Geaster coronatus (Schaeff.) J. Schröt. Geastrum quadrifidum var. minus Pers. Geastrum minus (Pers.) G. Cunn.[1] auct. non

Species of fungus

Geastrum quadrifidum Mycological characteristics
	Glebal hymenium
	No distinct cap
	Hymenium attachment is not applicable
	Lacks a stipe
	Spore print is brown
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is inedible

Geastrum quadrifidum, commonly known as the rayed earthstar or four-footed earthstar, is an inedible species of mushroom belonging to the genus Geastrum, or earthstar fungi. First described scientifically by Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1794, G. quadrifidum is a cosmopolitan—but not common—species of Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. The fungus is a saprobe, feeding off decomposing organic matter present in the soil and litter of coniferous forests.

The small, tough, fruit bodies are grayish-brown balls that are initially enclosed by a skin, or peridium, made up of four distinct layers of tissue. The outer tissue layer splits to form star-like rays and expose a circular spore case. Inside the spore case is the gleba—fertile spore-producing tissue that is white and firm when young, but becomes brown and powdery in age. The grayish-brown spore case is set on a short, slender stalk, and has a well-defined narrow pore at the top where mature spores may escape. Fully expanded, the fruit body reaches dimensions up to 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) wide and up to about 3 cm (1+1⁄4 in) tall. The outer skin is purplish-brown, with four or five cream or yellowish-brown colored rays that have their tips stuck in the substrate. There is a flat mat of interwoven mycelia between ray tips. The spores are spherical, warty, and have a diameter of up to 6 μm. Geastrum quadrifidum is one of a number of earthstars whose rays arch downward as they mature, lifting the spore sac upward, high enough to catch air currents that disseminate the spores into new habitats. The species is easily confused with G. fornicatum, a larger earthstar without a well-defined pore mouth.