The earth star is fringed. Types of fungus starfish

Zvezdovik (gestrum)

Seeing an asterisk on which something round sits, even experienced mushroom pickers are amazed, starting to wonder if such a miracle flew into the Russian forest from another planet. Star mushrooms are rare mushrooms, and people don’t always notice them - simply because they focus on the classic image of a mushroom as a hat on a stem. The round ball on the star does not fit into the usual concept, and the eyes of the miners slip past. Meanwhile, starfighters are one of the most unusual mushrooms in the world. There is no need to collect them, but it is interesting to stop and admire this freak of nature.

The Latin name for starfish - Geastrum (geastrum) - connects two roots: "earth" and "star". Starlets settle on a dense leaf lining or vegetation residues. Relating to saprotrophs, starfish close the chains of the circulation of substances, processing plant organic matter and returning it to the soil inorganic compounds, which can be used by living trees as nutrients.

The young mushroom has a peculiar shell. As it grows, it ruptures, forming a stellate structure that lifts the spore sac. It turns out exotic mushroom, which is difficult to recognize as such.

Starfish settle all over the world and almost everywhere. Some species prefer open and high places under deciduous trees, others choose dark coniferous thickets, there are. Mushroom colonies can exist in one place for many years, as the spores are well preserved in a dense round bag on top. Often, in the place of one mushroom, the next sprouts. And if you find one starship, you can find several more within a radius of several meters.

Some types of starfish are edible in young age, the fruiting body with the shell can be eaten even raw. But the expediency of such eating, generally speaking, is doubtful. Yes, and the definition of the species is a difficult task even for specialists. It's easier not to take risks, leaving the star-troopers in their place.

The starlets presented in the pictures in this article were not found in the forest and not even in the park. They were almost accidentally discovered in the city, during a leisurely walk along a sparsely populated path along the industrial zone. From the pictures on the Internet, I identified the found mushroom as a striped starfish. His hallmark- characteristic cracked stripes on the asterisk. But it is possible that this is a fringed starfish or some other representative of the family.

Mushroom starfish is a typical representative of the mushroom kingdom, belonging to a fairly big family stars. notice, that this species belongs to the group of conditionally edible eukaryotes that have found wide application both in cooking and in folk medicine.

Appearance Features

Such a mushroom as a starfish, in addition to its main name, is also known as a gestrum or earth star. fruiting body grows under the surface of the earth, forming a kind of bag. In the process of growth, the cap of the mushroom comes out, making its way out, while its surface bursts, which is why wrapping ends are formed. That is, a ripened mushroom with its own external characteristics strongly resembles a star with several spongy rays framing the central part.

Inner part star-like gestrum hides a spore-bearing body underneath, which has a characteristic geometric shape(often oval or spherical). The tip of the part of the fungus, in which the spores ripen, has the thinnest protective covering and bordered by protrusions covered with small cilia. In this form, the fruit part remains until ripening. Over time, the rays darken. They often disappear.

Features of the appearance of earth stars directly depend on the subspecies. On average, the size of the cap does not exceed 40 mm in diameter, the size of the open star-like part ranges from 30 to 150 mm, the spherical body of the spore-bearing part reaches 13-15 mm in height, and no more than 10-12 mm in width.

At the beginning of development, the eukaryte, as a rule, has a light color of all its parts (the color varies from finely white to rich red or brownish). With the maturation of the fungus, the color of the fruiting body darkens. Starfish spores are brown or fawn.

Inedible species

The star family is basically not edible species mushrooms, at the same time they are not poisonous. Often, representatives of this family are used in traditional medicine.

1. The triple earth star is a fungus that is somewhat different from related species, which is characterized by a double layer of the outer shell. When ripe, the surface bursts into pieces, forming an unequal number of rays, and the inner one turns into a kind of border framing the spore-bearing body, thus forming a cup. The color of the mushroom body is from light beige to brownish.
2. Striped starfish - as well as the view described above has characteristic differences. The mycelium of this type of mushroom is located not like most representatives of this family - under the surface of the earth, but above it. As the specimens mature, the fruiting body forms long rays that have a creamy color, which gives the mushroom a star shape. Over time, these rays crack and darken significantly. An elongated spore-bearing body of small size is located on a small and rather powerful stalk. Has a characteristic gray color with a light touch. The central part is divided by stripes.
3. The fringed starfish is a mushroom whose fruiting body is partially hidden underground. The outer shell of a brownish hue, as a rule, bursts into 6-7 parts bent to the bottom. The ball with spores is gray, there is a weakly outlined bowl (courtyard) bordering it.
4. Star topped - a mushroom with gray rays that have a matte tint. The spore-bearing part is located on a thin and rather short stalk. Directly central part darker than stellar.
5. Small asterisk is the smallest gestum in size. The shares of the outer shell, as a rule, are divided into a fairly large number of parts (up to 12). The color of the rays is light beige, cracking over time, exposing a lighter inner part. The spore-bearing body is gray, darkens with maturity, with an elongated proboscis at the apex.
6. Black-headed Geastrum is a subspecies of the family, which has significant differences. At the beginning of growth, the body of the fungus resembles such a species as a raincoat, which has a characteristic light color of the fruiting body; as it grows, the shell is divided into parts (up to 8), opening the body of the spore-bearing ball. Note that the inner part of the rays is covered with dark mature spores, which are carried by the wind in bad weather.
7. Four-beam earth star - this species, like many of its relatives, during the ripening period raises the fruiting body above the soil surface. The color of the fruiting body is gray-white, the spore-bearing body is gray.

Edible species

As a rule, edible species of representatives of the star family are used for culinary purposes only as an exotic additive (only young specimens are used for cooking), this is mainly due to their small number and, accordingly, low popularity among lovers of quiet hunting.

1. A vaulted starfish is a mushroom that has a flattened spherical fruiting body located under the surface of the soil. The color of the fungus is more brown, the spore-bearing body is flattened, matte with a characteristic fawn tint.
2. Schmidel's star - a feature of the species is that the fruit part of this species edible mushrooms has a rather modest size. During maturation, as in most related species, it rises. The spore-bearing ball rests on a low stalk with a ciliated border at the top. The color of the fungus is brown, with growth it darkens significantly.

Where do stars grow

On the territory of our country, such a wild-growing mushroom as a starfish is an extremely rare representative of the mushroom kingdom. Most often it grows in regions with a mild warm climate (the Caucasus, many European countries).

The most attractive for stars are mixed and coniferous forests. Often these mushrooms are found growing on the banks of reservoirs. Star-shaped mushrooms grow quite large groups, forming characteristic "witch" rings. The fruiting season is from mid-August to early October.

Video: Starfighter (Geastrum)

Treatment at the first symptoms of a cold When the first signs of the disease appear, in order to prevent further development colds, you can use alternative medicine recipes. Onion infusion Chop one onion, pour a glass of boiling water. Cover with a lid and leave for 5-10 minutes. Drink the infusion "in one gulp" at once the whole glass. Phytoncides (bioactive substances that can suppress pathogenic bacteria) that contain onions in in large numbers, quickly help to cope with the disease at an early stage. Bath with essential oils and sea salt Essential oils for bathing Take a warm bath only when the temperature is not high. Prepare a bath (t not higher than 38 ° C). Add 200-250 grams of special salt and 15 drops of eucalyptus, peppermint, sage or rosemary oil to the water. The duration of the procedure is no more than 15 minutes. After the patient needs to dry himself, lie down and warm himself under the covers. Additionally, you can drink warm tea with raspberries, lemon, ginger or honey. At the first symptoms of a cold, it is useful to gargle and rinse the nasal cavity. These procedures cleanse the mucous membranes of viruses, moisturize them. Rinse the nose with warm saline 2-3 times a day. The solution for washing is easy to prepare yourself. per liter clean water stir 1 teaspoon of regular salt and 2-3 drops of iodine. It is recommended to gargle with diluted furatsilin or soda solution (1 teaspoon per 200 ml warm water). On the early stages colds respond well to treatment. Treatment of colds and runny nose with folk remedies One of the unpleasant symptoms of a cold is a runny nose. It is manifested by abundant secretions of mucus from the nose. You can overcome it with folk remedies: Washing the nose. It can be done not only with saline solutions, but also with decoctions of medicinal herbs (field chamomile, calendula). To prepare a decoction, a pinch of herbs is poured into a glass of water, boiled in a steam bath until it boils. Allow to cool and strain; Nasal drops. A couple of times a day, drip into each nasal passage 3-4 drops of Kalanchoe juice or freshly squeezed beetroot juice. It is possible to prepare medicine from onion juice and vegetable oil by mixing them in a ratio of 1:1; Inhalations. They provide a soft and long lasting effect. medicinal product on the nasal mucosa. Inhalations are carried out with a special inhaler or in the traditional way (by inhaling steam over a container). For inhalation, you can use any alkaline mineral water(without gas), decoctions medicinal plants(needles, eucalyptus, chamomile). You can do inhalations by adding 2-3 drops of essential oil; Dry heating. Pour warmed salt or peas into a small cloth bag. Apply a warm bag to the sinuses. Keep as long as it retains heat. Repeat warming up in the morning and evening. Folk remedies for colds and sore throat Often a cold is accompanied by pain and sore throat. You can get rid of them with the help of alternative medicine recipes: Gargling. The procedure is repeated 3-4 times a day. You can rinse with garlic water (grind 2 medium cloves, pour hot water, an hour later, the medicine is ready), diluted tincture of calendula or eucalyptus (dilute 1 teaspoon in a glass of warm water), infusion of sage or chamomile officinalis (brew a tablespoon of dry grass with 200 ml of boiling water, leave for about an hour), tincture of cloves (steam 10 pieces in a glass of boiling water, insist for 40 minutes); Lubrication of the mucosa and tonsils with sea buckthorn oil 3 times a day; Onion juice (not used to treat children). Adults take 1 tablespoon twice daily. The pulp after pressing is used as a compress on the neck. How to treat a cough with a cold at home Radish with honey. Wash the black radish fruit, cut off the tail. Make a hole inside and put 2-3 teaspoons of honey into it. Radish should be infused for at least 4 hours. After that, the resulting juice is drunk 3 times a day. For small children, 1-2 teaspoons are enough, children over 6 years old and adults take 1-2 tablespoons. Radish juice well dilutes sputum, promotes its discharge; Inhalation based essential oils, alkaline solutions or steamed boiled potatoes. Medicinal substances in the vapor state enter the Airways and immediately act on inflamed mucous membranes. Inhalations are used to treat both unproductive (without sputum discharge) and productive (with sputum) cough; Rubbing with fat. Fat of animal origin is used: badger, goat, bear. First, it must be melted in a steam bath, and then rubbed on the patient's chest. If the cough is accompanied by wheezing, a pinch of dry mustard can be added to the fat. The result of treatment is noticeable after 3 days; Decoction of plantain. It has a good expectorant effect. A small pinch of dry leaves must be poured with a glass of boiling water, let it brew for 4 hours. Strained drink should be taken 30 minutes before meals, 2-3 sips three times a day. Additional measures for colds All unpleasant symptoms colds - runny nose, headache, pain in the throat, fever indicate that the patient's body is fighting the disease. To help him, it is necessary to provide favorable conditions and good care: with high temperature- observe bed rest; drink a lot. Warm, plentiful drink helps to remove toxins from the body; food should be light, but complete; eat more foods containing vitamins. It can be juices, vegetables, fresh fruits; maintain the microclimate in the room: the air should be humid and slightly cool (about 20 ° C), this prevents the spread of pathogenic microbes.

Kira Stoletova

Mushroom starfish is a typical representative of the family Starfish and the genus Starfish. It belongs to conditionally edible eukaryotes, which have found their application in folk medicine and partly in cooking.