Asterophora lycoperdoides	Prev	|	Index	|	Next

11 October 2008 West Sussex. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Species

Asterophora lycoperdoides

Synonyms

Nyctalis asterophora

Cap

Convex, white, then brown, surface powdery, to about 4cm across

Gills

Rudimentary, grey-brown

Stem

White, then grey-brown

Flesh

Pale, thin

Smell

Mealy

Taste

Mealy

Season

Summer to winter

Distribution

Infrequent

Habitat

On rotting Russula nigricans, and very rarely, Russula adusta

Microscopic Features

Spores ellipsoidal, smooth (5-5.5) x (3.5-4) µm². Chlamydospores star-shaped, knobbly (12-15) µm²

Edibility

Unknown

Notes

This is an extremely unusual species as it forms a powdery layer of chlamydospores on the cap surface. These unusual asexual spores are created by hyphal budding rather than on basidia as is usually the case for basidiomycetes. Take care not to confuse young specimens with Asterophora parasitica.

Additional Photographs

Young specimens. 11 October 2008 West Sussex. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Chlamydospores viewed with a x100 immersion objective. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Spores viewed with a x100 immersion objective and x2.5 projection lens. 5 September 2009. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin