Asterophora lycoperdoides
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Asterophora lycoperdoides | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Lyophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Asterophora |
| Species: | A. lycoperdoides |
| Binomial name | |
| Asterophora lycoperdoides | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Species synonymy
| |
Asterophora lycoperdoides | |
|---|---|
 | Gills on hymenium |
 | Cap is convex |
 | Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable |
 | Stipe is bare |
 | Spore print is white |
 | Ecology is parasitic |
 | Edibility is inedible |
Asterophora lycoperdoides, commonly known as the star bearer, or powdery piggyback mushroom,[2] is a species of fungus in the Lyophyllaceae family. It grows as a parasite, mostly on Russula species, and is found in North America and Europe.[3]
The species was first named as Agaricus lycoperdonoides by French mycologist Jean Baptiste Francois Pierre Bulliard in 1784.
Description
The cap is white but soon covered in brown powder, growing up to 2 centimetres (3⁄4 in) wide.[4] The gills are adnate and fairly distant, sometimes forked. The stems are up to 5 cm (2 in) long.[4]
Asexual spores are produced on the mushrooms cap which enable the organism to clone itself easily. The spores, called chlamydospores,[3] are star-shaped, hence the name 'star bearer'. It is regarded as nonpoisonous but inedible.[5][6]
Asterophora parasitica is similar but has more conic caps, its gills are typically more developed, and its chlamydospores are fusiform rather than star-shaped.[7]
