Geastrales is an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

of gasterocarpic

basidiomycetes Basidiomycota () is one of two large division (mycology), divisions that, together with the Ascomycota, constitute the subkingdom Dikarya (often referred to as the "higher fungi") within the kingdom Fungi. Members are known as basidiomycetes. Mor ...

(

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

) that are related to

Gomphales The Gomphales are an order of basidiomycete fungi. Some or all families belonging to Gomphales have been sometimes included in the order Phallales (and ''vice versa'' - they are also sometimes treated as synonyms), the now-obsolete Ramariacea ...

. The order contains the

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

Geastraceae, which includes the "earthstars" formerly placed in Lycoperdales or Phallales, and also Schenellaceae, Sclerogastraceae and Sphaerobolaceae. About 160 species are

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

in this order, divided among seven or eight genera, including ''

Geastrum ''Geastrum'' (orthographical variant ''Geaster'') is a genus of puffball-like mushrooms in the family Geastraceae. Many species are commonly known as earthstars. The name, which comes from ''geo'' meaning ''earth'' and meaning ''star'', refers ...

'', '' Myriostoma'' and ''

Sphaerobolus ''Sphaerobolus'' is a genus of fungi in the family Geastraceae. Commonly known as the "shotgun fungus", "artillery fungus" or "cannonball fungus", species discharge their spores with explosive force. Discharged spore sacs are sticky and have a ...

''. ''Sphaerobolus'' species are known as "shotgun fungus" or "cannonball fungus". They colonize wood-based

mulch A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving soil fertility, fertility and health of the soil, reducing Weed control, weed growth, and enhancing the v ...

es and may throw black, sticky,

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

-containing globs onto nearby surfaces. In ''Geastrum'', once mature, the exoperidium splits into a variable number of rays, which give them their visible star shape. The exoperidial rays are there to protect the endoperidial body and orchestrate spore dispersal.Kuhar, F., Castiglia, V., & Papinutti, L. (2013). Geastrum species of the La Rioja province, Argentina. Mycotaxon, 122, 145-156. https://doi.org/10.5248/122.145 The

fruiting 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 ...

of several earthstars are hygrometric: in dry weather the rays will dry and curl up around the soft spore sac, protecting it. In this state, often the whole fungus becomes detached from the ground and may roll around like a

tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumbl ...

. In wetter weather, the rays moisten and uncurl; some even curl backward lifting the spore sac up. This allows rain or animals to hit the spore sac, emitting

s when enough moisture is present for them to

germinate Germination is the process by which an organism grows from a seed or spore. The term is applied to the sprouting of a seedling from a seed of an flowering plant, angiosperm or gymnosperm, the growth of a sporeling from a spore, such as the sp ...

and establish.

References

External links

* * Basidiomycota orders Agaricomycetes {{Geastrales-stub