Asterophora lycoperdoides

Asterophora lycoperdoides
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Lyophyllaceae
Genus:	Asterophora
Species:	A. lycoperdoides
Binomial name
Asterophora lycoperdoides (Bull.) Ditmar
Synonyms [1]
Species synonymy 1784 Agaricus lycoperdoidesBull. 1840 Asterophora agaricicolaCorda 1818 Asterophora agaricoidesFr. & Nordholm 1989 Nyctalis agaricoides(Fr.) Bon & Courtec. 1849 Artotrogus asterophoraFr. 1851 Asterotrichum ditmariiBonord. 1805 Merulius lycoperdoides(Bull.) Lam. & DC. 1889 Nyctalis lycoperdoides(Bull.) J.Schröt. 1898 Artotrogus lycoperdoides(Bull.) Kuntze 1898 Hypolyssus lycoperdoides(Bull.) Kuntze 1933 Nyctalis asterophora f. majorJ.E.Lange 1836 Asterophora nauseosaWeinm. 1874 Nyctalis nauseosa(Weinm.) Fr. 1995 Nyctalis agaricoides f. nauseosa(Weinm.) Bon

Asterophora lycoperdoides Mycological characteristics
	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] .

Taxonomy

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]

Habitat and distribution

It grows as a parasite on other mushrooms, mainly those in the genus Russula . ^[4] It can be found from July to September in eastern North America, somewhat later on the on the West Coast. ^[4] It can be found August to November in temperate Europe, and can be locally common. ^[3]

References

1. "Asterophora lycoperdoides (Bull.) Ditmar 1809". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
2. "Asterophora lycoperdoides, Powdery Piggyback mushroom". first-nature.com. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
3. Laessoe, Thomas; Petersen, Jens H. (2019). Fungi of Temperate Europe. Vol. 1. Princeton University Press. p. 281. ISBN   978-0-691-18037-3.
4. Audubon (2023). Mushrooms of North America. Knopf. p. 504. ISBN   978-0-593-31998-7.
5. Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuide. p. 134. ISBN   978-0-7627-3109-1.
6. Phillips, Roger (2010) [2005]. Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. pp. 92–93. ISBN   978-1-55407-651-2.
7. Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. pp. 305–306. ISBN   978-0-88192-935-5.

External links

• Mushroom Observer
• Asterophora lycoperdoides in Index Fungorum