Asterophora lycoperdoides, commonly known as the star bearer, or powdery piggyback mushroom,[2] is a species of fungus in the Lyophyllaceae family. It grows as a parasite on other mushrooms, mainly those in the genus Russula. Its gills are poorly formed or nearly absent. Asexual spores are produced on the mushrooms cap which enable the organism to clone itself easily. The spores are star-shaped, hence the name star bearer. It is regarded as nonpoisonous but inedible.[3][4]
| Asterophora lycoperdoides | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Agaricomycetes |
| Order: | Agaricales |
| Family: | Lyophyllaceae |
| Genus: | Asterophora |
| Species: | A. lycoperdoides
|
| Binomial name | |
| Asterophora lycoperdoides | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Species synonymy
| |
Asterophora lycoperdoides | |
|---|---|
 | Gills on hymenium |
 | Cap is convex |
 | Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable |
 | Stipe is bare |
 | Spore print is white |
 | Ecology is parasitic |
 | Edibility is inedible |
Asterophora parasitica is similar but has more conic caps.[5]
Taxonomy edit
The species was first named as Agaricus lycoperdonoides by French mycologist Jean Baptiste Francois Pierre Bulliard in 1784.
References edit
- ^ "Asterophora lycoperdoides (Bull.) Ditmar 1809". MycoBank. International Mycological Association. Retrieved 2010-12-23.
- ^ "Asterophora lycoperdoides, Powdery Piggyback mushroom". first-nature.com. Retrieved 2023-09-11.
- ^ Miller Jr., Orson K.; Miller, Hope H. (2006). North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi. Guilford, CN: FalconGuide. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-7627-3109-1.
- ^ Phillips, Roger (2010) [2005]. Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. pp. 92–93. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.
- ^ Trudell, Steve; Ammirati, Joe (2009). Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press Field Guides. Portland, OR: Timber Press. pp. 305–306. ISBN 978-0-88192-935-5.
External links edit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asterophora lycoperdoides.