These two Earth Star Fungi are found only in Japan
Earth Stars
Earth Stars, scientific name; Astraeus hygrometricus are a fungi like any other mushroom, part of the Agaricomycetes class, the Boletales order, Astraeus genus, and the Diplocystaceae family. Young specimens of A. hygrometricus have roughly spherical fruit bodies with a smooth whitish layer that covers the fruit body. the exoperidium breaks open in a star-shaped (stellate) pattern to form 4–20 irregular "rays". This simultaneously pushes the fruit body above ground to reveal a round spore case enclosed in a thin papery endoperidium. The rays open and close in response to levels of moisture in the environment, opening up in high humidity, and closing when the air is dry. This adaptation enables the fruit body to disperse spores at times of optimum moisture, and reduce evaporation during dry periods.
The species has a widedistribution except for arctic, alpine and cold temperate regions it is common in temperate and tropical regions of the world. It has been collected in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Period 5
Earth Stars
Earth Stars, scientific name; Astraeus hygrometricus are a fungi like any other mushroom, part of the Agaricomycetes class, the Boletales order, Astraeus genus, and the Diplocystaceae family. Young specimens of A. hygrometricus have roughly spherical fruit bodies with a smooth whitish layer that covers the fruit body.the exoperidium breaks open in a star-shaped (stellate) pattern to form 4–20 irregular "rays". This simultaneously pushes the fruit body above ground to reveal a round spore case enclosed in a thin papery endoperidium. The rays open and close in response to levels of moisture in the environment, opening up in high humidity, and closing when the air is dry. This adaptation enables the fruit body to disperse spores at times of optimum moisture, and reduce evaporation during dry periods.
The species has a wide distribution except for arctic, alpine and cold temperate regions it is common in temperate and tropical regions of the world. It has been collected in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America.
Watch A Earth Star Fungus Grow In 50 Seconds!
References:
1) http://herbarium.usu.edu/fungi/funfacts/starfact.htm
2) http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/dec2003alt.html
3)http://www.kew.org/plants-fungi/Myriostoma-coliforme.htm
Thank you to "neilbromhall" for the video!