Scleroderma polyrhizum

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Scleroderma polyrhizum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Class: Basidiomycetes
Order: Boletales
Family: Sclerodermataceae
Genus: Scleroderma
Species: S. polyrhizum
Binomial name
Scleroderma polyrhizum
(J.F.Gmel.) Pers. (1801)
Synonyms[1][2]
  • Lycoperdon polyrhizum J.F.Gmel. (1792)
  • Scleroderma geaster Fr. (1829)
  • Sclerangium polyrhizon (J.F.Gmel.) Lév. (1848)
  • Sclerangium polyrhizum (J.F.Gmel.) Lév. (1848)

Scleroderma polyrhizum, commonly known as the star earthball or dead man's hand, is a basidiomycete fungus and a member of the genus Scleroderma, or "earthballs". Found in dry, sandy soils, this species begins completely buried before slowly forcing the soil aside as it cracks apart to form a rough, star-shaped body with a diameter of 12–15 cm (4.7–5.9 in). At the center is the dark, brownish spore mass. Widely distributed wherever the soil and climate are favorable, it is known from Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

Taxonomy

The species was first described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1792 as Lycoperdon polyrhizum.[3] Scleroderma geaster is a synonym.[1]

It is commonly known as the star earthball[4] or dead man's hand.[5]

Description

When unopened, the fruit body ranges in shape from round to flattened to somewhat irregular, sometimes with lobes. As the mushroom matures, the peridium (outer skin) opens in a star-like manner to form 4–8 rays that curl back and expose the inner spore mass (gleba). Typically, more than half of the fruit bodies remains buried in the ground, attached by white, string-like or flattened strands rhizomorphs. The peridium is tough and thick, typically 0.3–1 cm (0.1–0.4 in), with a rough and cracked surface. It is initially white, then turns yellowish to light brown as it matures. When unopened, the fruit body is 4–15 cm (1.6–5.9 in) wide, expanding to 12–30 cm (4.7–11.8 in) after rupturing. In young specimens, the gleba is firm and light grey, but it become dark brown and powdery after the spores mature. The spores are spherical, partially reticulate with warts or spines, and measure 6–11 μm.[6]

Habitat and distribution

Scleroderma polyrhizum is probably a saprobic species,[7] but some experimental evidence suggests that it may also be mycorrhizal.[8] Fruit bodies grow singly, scattered, or in clusters, usually on hard clay or sandy soil, gravel, in lawns, or bare soil. Fruiting occurs in late summer and fall.[4] It has a wide distribution in North America.[7] It has also been recorded from Asia (China[9] and Japan[10]), Europe,[11][12] South America (Brazil).[13]

The mushroom was featured on a Libyan postage stamp in 1985.[14]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Scleroderma polyrhizum (J.F. Gmel.) Pers. 1801". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2012-10-01. 
  2. ↑ "Scleroderma polyrhizum (J.F. Gmel.) Pers.". Index Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 2012-10-02. 
  3. ↑ Gmelin JF. (1792). Systema Naturae 2 (13 ed.). Leipzig, Germany: G.E. Beer. p. 1464. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 McKnight VB, McKnight KH. (1987). A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America. Peterson Field Guides. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin. p. 363. ISBN 0-395-91090-0. 
  5. ↑ Davis RM, Sommer R, Menge JA. (2012). Field Guide to Mushrooms of Western North America. University of California Press. p. 375. ISBN 978-0-520-95360-4. 
  6. ↑ Arora D. (1986). Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. pp. 710–1. ISBN 0-89815-169-4. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Kuo M. (February 2006). "Scleroderma polyrhizum". MushroomExpert.com. Retrieved 2012-10-02. 
  8. ↑ Dunabeitia MK, Hormilla S, Salcedo I, Pena JI. (1996). "Ectomycorrhizae synthesized between Pinus radiata and eight fungi associated with Pinus spp.". Mycologia 88 (6): 897–908. JSTOR 3761052. 
  9. ↑ Jian-Zong L. (2003). "Studies of Scleroderma from China". Hunan Shifan Daxue Ziran Kexue Xuebao (in Chinese) 26 (4): 60–4. ISSN 1000-2537. 
  10. ↑ Yoshimi S. (2002). "Taxonomic study of the Japanese taxa of Scleroderma Pers.". Nippon Kingakukai Kaiho (in Japanese, English) 43 (1): 3–18. ISSN 0029-0289. 
  11. ↑ Calonge FD. (1980–1983). "The genus Scleroderma Gasteromycetes in Spain". Revista de Biologia (Lisbon) (in Spanish) 12 (1–2): 49–60. 
  12. ↑ Story M. "Earthballs – British Scleroderma species". Field Mycology 10 (4): 122–7. doi:10.1016/S1468-1641(10)60607-X. 
  13. ↑ Baseia IG, Milanez AI. (2000). "Primeiro registro de Scleroderma polyrhizum Pers. (Gasteromycetes) para o Brasil" [First record of Scleroderma polyrhizum Pers. (Gasteromycetes) from Brazil]. Acta Botanica Brasilica 14 (2): 181–4. doi:10.1590/S0102-33062000000200006. 
  14. ↑ Moss MO. (1998). "Gasteroid Basidiomycetes on postage stamps". Mycologist 12 (3): 104–6. doi:10.1016/S0269-915X(98)80005-0. 

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