''Astraeus morganii'' is a species of false earthstar in the family

Diplocystaceae Diplocystaceae (alternatively spelled Diplocystidaceae or Diplocystidiaceae) is a family of fungi in the Boletales order. The family was described by mycologist Hanns Kreisel Hanns Kreisel (16 July 1931 – 18 January 2017) was a German mycol ...

. The fungus is found in the central to southern United States, extending southwards to Mexico. It is closely related to ''

Astraeus pteridis ''Astraeus pteridis'', commonly known as the giant hygroscopic earthstar, is a species of Astraeus (fungus), false earthstar in the family Diplocystaceae. It is found in North America. Taxonomy The species was described by American mycologist ...

'', but has smaller

fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...

and larger

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plant ...

. The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

honors American botanist

Andrew Price Morgan Andrew Price Morgan (27 October 1836 – 19 October 1907) was an American botanist and mycologist. He investigated the flora of the Miami Valley in Ohio. While his interest included flowering plants, as noted by his ''Flora of the Miami Valley, O ...

References

External links

* Boletales Fungi described in 2013 Fungi of North America Fungus species {{Boletales-stub