Asterophora lycoperdoides
Encyclopedia
Asterophora lycoperdoides is a species of fungus
in the Lyophyllaceae
family. It grows as a parasite
on other mushroom
s, mainly Russulas. 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.
in 1784.
Fungus
A fungus is a member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds , as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, Fungi, which is separate from plants, animals, and bacteria...
in the Lyophyllaceae
Lyophyllaceae
The Lyophyllaceae are a family of fungi in the Agaricales order. The family contains 8 genera and 157 species....
family. It grows as a parasite
Parasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
on other mushroom
Mushroom
A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus; hence the word "mushroom" is most often applied to those fungi that...
s, mainly Russulas. 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.
Taxonomy
The species was first named as Agaricus lycoperdonoides by French mycologist Jean Baptiste Francois Pierre BulliardJean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard
Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard was a French physician and botanist....
in 1784.