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| 1 | 2 | 3 | » Stats |
Members: 34,098
Threads: 51,301
Posts: 561,166
Top Poster: glsammy (13,488) | | Welcome to our newest member, jordan1248 | | |
Welcome to the Wild About Britain forums | | | |  | 
20-08-2007, 03:15 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar One of the largest and most distinctive earthstars which grows in groups amongst leaf litter under deciduous trees like beech. The young unopened fruitbody is pointed and closley resembles a tulip bulb about 5cm in diameter:
The dissected fruit body shows the sessile, pale grey-brown spore-sac with the characteristic paler ring around the raised apical pore:
Further dissection shows a glutinous dark brown spore mass:
The globose spore-sac contained inside is revealed when the outer wall splits into 4-8 pointed rays which crack as they bend back under the fruitbody forming the familiar saucer like basal collar: | 
20-08-2007, 04:16 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: East Harling, Norfolk
Posts: 8,147
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Fantastic documentation! Very informative and interesting | 
21-08-2007, 06:59 AM
|  | Officer of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Dinnington, S Yorks
Posts: 635
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar This is another of those that I still have to find.
I feel better informed now.
Thanks, David.
Les
__________________ Leave only footprints, take only pictures | 
23-08-2007, 10:34 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Thanks guys | 
24-08-2007, 07:17 PM
|  | Active Member | | Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 80
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Excellent illustration,very imformative well done. | 
27-08-2007, 05:57 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Today I found another colony which included a specimen showing the outer casing just beginning to split to reveal the spore sac:
and others showing the pointed rays before they crack and bend right back under the friutbody: | 
27-09-2007, 02:27 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Today I visited the site where my original photo of the 'tulip bulb' stage of development was taken and discovered that at last, after well over a month, the outer casing has split open to reveal the spore sac. Eventually I will endeavour to capture the fully matured specimen after the rays have cracked and bent back under themselves leaving the spore sac sitting in its characteristic saucer-like 'collar'.
P.S. No, I can't identify the fly! | 
30-09-2007, 09:42 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Nick Cantle and I joined forces this morning to see what the wet weather had produced in my neck of the woods around Minley and while out and about we checked the Earthstar patch and found the specimen now fully matured:
David | 
30-09-2007, 10:27 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: East Harling, Norfolk
Posts: 8,147
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar A lovely way to end a fantastic thread and a dry month!!!
Bring on October | 
20-01-2008, 05:10 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Quote:
Originally Posted by NickCantle A lovely way to end a fantastic thread and a dry month!!!
Bring on October  | Well Nick here we are nearly 4 months later and following some on going discussion in my Monster Earthstar thread in which I promulgated the wish to find other Geastrum species, I was prompted to take Chaka for a walk in Minley Wood this afternoon with the express intention of revisiting my original Earthstar site.
I hope I'm not getting prematurely excited by what I found:
Without getting too carried away, bearing in mind that last September the specimens found in this location and recorded above, all clearly appeared to be G. triplex, today's find of this overwintered example does not seem to display the macro characteristics which I have come to accept as those of Collared Earthstars. Atypically the rays are not bending back on themselves and cracking to present the appearance of a basal collar underneath the spore sac, which in this case now sits atop a short stem. (The size was 7-8 cm across the rays)
Hope somebody can shed some light with a positive ID or explanation.
TIA
David | 
20-01-2008, 05:18 PM
|  | Knight Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Northants
Posts: 7,158
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Fascinating..I have never seen anything like this before..Thank you for the interesting lesson. | 
20-01-2008, 05:35 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,307
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Quote:
Originally Posted by cybershot Hope somebody can shed some light with a positive ID or explanation.
TIA
David | I wish I could help but I can't.
I found what I thought were some unusual earthstars early in 2007 at Ainsdale National Nature Reserve. Some had no signs of a collar, some had the spore sac on a distinct neck, and some were tiny, with a spore sac only about 15mm in diameter. I thought there could be at least two species amongst them.
So I emailed Peter Roberts at Kew with a description and asked if I could send them down to him for an identification. He said that, as they were fruiting bodies from 2006, there was little point in sending them because they would have lost all the important characters needed for a positive identification. Earthstars can be difficult to identify at the best of times but without very fresh specimens you are on to a loser.
From my descriptions he suggested that they could just be Geastrum triplex at the limits of the range of variability of this species.
So if Kew can't help with old specimens such as those in your photos I don't think anyone can.
Ken
PS On old specimens the collar of Geastrum triplex can decay and fall off, leaving a neck visible below the spore sac.
Last edited by Fungus Ken; 20-01-2008 at 05:38 PM.
| 
20-01-2008, 06:10 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Thanks to Ken for a timely and enlightening response which just prevented me declaring protestations of delight in having found examples with the attributes of G. rufescens
David | 
15-07-2008, 07:41 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar As the first of this season's crop are just emerging Emerging Geastrum.sp
I would be interested to hear from anyone who can enlighten us further on the confusing subject of Geastrum species (Earthstars)
Further reading and info on WAB: Monster Earthstars Geastrum sp? Memo to self : Must update A to Z Memo to FJ: please correct my typo in the title of this thread
David
Last edited by cybershot; 15-07-2008 at 08:09 AM.
| 
15-07-2008, 08:07 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,198
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Anybody seriously interested in Earthstars should get hold of a copy of British Puffballs, Earthstars and Stinkhorns, published by Kew ISBN 0 947643 81 8
It is well illustrated with good photographs and line drawings showing microscopic detail of important ID features.
Neil. | 
15-07-2008, 08:10 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Quote:
Originally Posted by fairplay Anybody seriously interested in Earthstars should get hold of a copy of British Puffballs, Earthstars and Stinkhorns, published by Kew ISBN 0 947643 81 8
It is well illustrated with good photographs and line drawings showing microscopic detail of important ID features.
Neil.  | Thanks Neil | 
15-07-2008, 08:48 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Quote:
Originally Posted by fairplay Anybody seriously interested in Earthstars should get hold of a copy of British Puffballs, Earthstars and Stinkhorns, published by Kew ISBN 0 947643 81 8
It is well illustrated with good photographs and line drawings showing microscopic detail of important ID features.
Neil.  | Picked up a copy from amazon at £19.80
Once again many thanks Neil
David | 
15-07-2008, 08:31 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,198
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Good on ya !! Enjoy.
Neil. | 
19-09-2008, 03:15 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Quote:
Originally Posted by cybershot Picked up a copy from amazon at £19.80
Once again many thanks Neil
David | Unfortunately Amazon never satisfied the order | 
19-09-2008, 08:02 PM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Preston in NW
Posts: 3,654
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar very good. they grow near me in Lancashire as well. | 
19-09-2008, 09:45 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,198
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Hi David,
Do you mean Amazon failed to deliver ?
In which case then I would apply to Kew direct.
I noticed something very important when I went back through this thread - I found 'Monster Earthstars' highlighted and when I clicked on it, that took me back to an even earlier thread where I came across 'Earthstar Explosion' highlighted, so out of curiosity I clicked this and up came this fantastic shot of an unidentified Earthstar which can only be the very rare Pepper Pot fungus, Myriostoma coliforme
This fantastic fungus seems to have slipped passed all WAB users and most likely experts as well, including the photographer, as it is only described as an Earthstar.
There is only one comment which simply praises the photograph.
This rare fungus was long thought to have been extinct in mainland Britain where it had not been 'seen' for 126 years - until that is, it was re-discovered here in Suffolk in February 2006.
The exact location is a closely guarded secret but at the time I wrote an article on this find suggesting it has always been appearing sporadically at this location and sure enough, the owner of the land contacted me to say my suggestion was correct and that he just did not realise what they were.
I hope the photographer of this important photo can be traced so that it can deservedly be given full recognition.
Neil. | 
20-09-2008, 05:39 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar A little research on PBase shows the photographer to be Chris McMahon who was living in Madrid at the time, but it didn't indicate where his fantastic photo of an erupting Pepper Pot fungus was taken. Let's hope he finds his way to WAB.
David | 
20-09-2008, 08:38 AM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,198
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar FungiJohn,
Is it possible to change the status of Earthstar on this forum to 'An Earthstar', because if a newcomer clicks on it, up pops G. floriforme - quite a scarce one, and this could lead a whole generation into believing this is The Earthstar or the main one at least.
In fact, in British Puffballs by Pegler, Laessoe & Spooner it is given the common name of Daisy Earthstar.
(Well done on getting the I.D. of G. striatum correct in another thread by the way - I made a right hash of that.    )
Neil. | 
20-09-2008, 08:59 AM
|  | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Yateley, Hampshire
Posts: 3,034
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Quote:
Originally Posted by fairplay FungiJohn,
Is it possible to change the status of Earthstar on this forum to 'An Earthstar', because if a newcomer clicks on it, up pops G. floriforme - quite a scarce one, and this could lead a whole generation into believing this is The Earthstar or the main one at least.
In fact, in British Puffballs by Pegler, Laessoe & Spooner it is given the common name of Daisy Earthstar.
(Well done on getting the I.D. of G. striatum correct in another thread by the way - I made a right hash of that.    )
Neil. | It's as good a fanciful common name as any Neil, and I have edited the entry in the A to Z which creates these links though I think StuartDH may have to intervene before it becomes operable (just testing: Geastrum floriforme - Daisy Earthstar). I also noticed that the entry for Geastrum pectinatum had also been given the common name 'Earthstar' so to avoid a similar set of circumstances I have edited that too. Btw you are as eligible as any other member to make these amendments to the A to Z where you deem it necessary to correct any inaccurate information therein.
David
P.S. Edited to say that the link still diverts to the now edited entry for G. floriforme so methinks Stuart will have to action a new link.
Last edited by cybershot; 20-09-2008 at 09:11 AM.
| 
20-09-2008, 08:15 PM
| | Commander of the Wild Empire | | Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,198
| | | Re: Geastrum triplex - Collared Eathstar Cheers David,
I feel 'proficient' as regards fungi, but as for working with computers and manipulating things I'm total c**p !!
Neil.   |  | | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
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