Daisy Earthstar - Geastrum floriforme

Description

A flattened sphere holds the powdery gleba with which the spores are distributed. A hole on the top of the 'bulb' releases spores when the wind blows across it. The bulb is mounted on a star-shaped base that looks rather like the petals of a daisy, and that closes tighter when dry. The bulb is typically 10 to 20 mm across and roughly spherical. The number of star rays is very variable. Several other Geastrum species are of the same general form, and confident identification requires a lot of expertise (see UK Status).

Identification difficulty
Habitat

Mainly found in sandy open areas, either solitarily or in scattered groups

When to see it

All year round

Life History

Fruiting after rain in the autumn; the long-lasting spent fruiting bodies  can be found at any time of year.

UK Status

Rare in Britain. We are fortunate that the importance of this find was realised by VC55 expert Richard Iliffe who sent the specimen to Kew for verification. The specimen has been retained at Kew in their herbarium as one of only about 30 British records.

VC55 Status

Rare. The specimen photographed at Sapcote is believed to be the first record for Leicestershire & Rutland. (See UK Status).

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Daisy Earthstar
Species group:
Fungi
Kingdom:
Fungi
Order:
Geastrales
Family:
Geastraceae
Records on NatureSpot:
1
First record:
05/02/2010 (Calow, Graham)
Last record:
05/02/2010 (Calow, Graham)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

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