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Four-lobed or four-lobed star, Geastrum four-lobed, four-lobed earth star, Geastrum quadrifidum - the names of one species of the family Geastrum. It has no nutritional value and is classified as an inedible mushroom. Listed in the Red Book of the Tver and Voronezh regions as a rare species.
Geastrum four-lobed - a mushroom with an unusual structure of the fruiting body
What does a four-lobed starfish look like?
At the beginning of development, the reproductive part is underground, the peridium is closed, rounded - up to 2 cm in diameter, the white surface is covered with micellar hyphae. In maturity, the size of the fruiting body increases to 5 cm; the peridium, when emerging from the soil, is divided into four to seven pointed lobes. The four-layer structure consists of an outer part - exoperidium and an inner part - endoperidium.
External characteristics of the four-bladed star:
- The exoperidium consists of two or three layers, breaking down to the middle from the upper part into uneven lobes.
- At the beginning of opening it looks like a bowl with non-hygroscopic, straight edges. Then the surface is divided into parts, the blades are bent towards the ground and lift the fruiting body above the surface.
- The outer covering is light, felt-like structure with fragments of soil and mycelium remains, peels off and falls off over time.
- The pulp of the central layer of the exoperidium is dense, white and hard.
- The topmost layer falls off over time, leaving torn areas.
- The surface is filmy or leathery, darkens over time to a brown color and cracks.
- The endoperidium of the fruiting body - gleba, is spherical or ovoid, up to 1 cm wide, 1.4 cm high, covered with a protective and hard velvety film with an opening for the release of spores.
- At the initial stage of development of the rounded formation, the color is light gray, in mature mushrooms it is black or dark brown.
- The gleba is attached to a short felt-covered post, with a clearly visible protrusion at the junction.
The spore powder is dark gray with an olive tint and scatters when pressed.
The color of the top of the inner part is white with a clear border in a circle
Where and how does it grow
Four-lobed starwort is a rare species; it grows on sandy, well-drained soils, among fallen pine needles on leaf litter, near abandoned anthills. It is found in all types of forests, which include coniferous and broad-leaved species.
Fruiting occurs in autumn, the first mushrooms appear in August, the last ones are found in October. They grow in small groups, often singly. The distribution area in Russia covers:
- European and central part;
- Altai;
- North Caucasus;
- Eastern Siberia;
- Leningrad region.
Is the mushroom edible or not?
The four-lobed star is small in size with a rigid fruit body structure and is not suitable for culinary use. It has no nutritional value. In biological reference books, the species is listed in the category of inedible mushrooms.
Doubles and their differences
The vaulted starwort is classified as a twin of the four-lobed geastrum. Externally, the mushrooms are very similar - the method, place and time of growth are no different. The twin is identified by longer blades - up to 9 cm; at the beginning of growth, the peridia are yellow-brown in color and open into two layers. The flesh of an unripe mushroom is white and dense.
The vaulted star has antiseptic properties and is used in folk medicine.
The crowned star, in contrast to the four-bladed one, breaks up to 10 blades when opened. The peridium does not stratify; in young specimens the color is gray with a glossy surface; with age the color becomes dark brown. The species can be found in parks among short grass under bushes. It is not used in cooking; the mushroom is inedible.
The inside of the crowned star is uniformly painted dark gray or brown.
Conclusion
The four-lobed starwort is a rare specimen with an exotic appearance and belongs to the inedible category. In many countries, including Russia, it is listed in the Red Book. The cosmopolitan mushroom bears fruit in late summer on the coniferous forest floor of mixed forests.
