Fungi
Puffballs & the like
Spore sac on a star-like base [earthstars]
Sighting 3380266

Geastrum tenuipes

2 An earthstar at Burra, NSW

Geastrum tenuipes at Burra, NSW - 8 Jul 2017 12:26 PM
Geastrum tenuipes at Burra, NSW - 8 Jul 2017 12:26 PM
Geastrum tenuipes at Burra, NSW - 8 Jul 2017 12:26 PM
Geastrum tenuipes at Burra, NSW - 8 Jul 2017 12:26 PM
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Identification history

Geastrum tenuipes 4 Sep 2017 Heino
Geastrum tenuipes 30 Aug 2017 Woowoolahra

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5 comments

Safarigirl wrote:
   31 Aug 2017
Nice. Good to see you on board!!!
HelenCross wrote:
   20 Jan 2018
Wow! Interesting shapes!
zoedog66 wrote:
   31 Jan 2018
Amazing - never seen one of these before! Toxic?
Heino wrote:
   31 Jan 2018
I've not come across any mention of this species being toxic Within that raised grey-blue ball all you find is a mass of what looks like cotton wool that holds a great multitude of powdery spores. If the ball is compressed, spores puff out through a mouth at the top of that pleated cone. I'd imagine that someone with breathing difficulties (e.g. an asthmatic) might suffer if they breathed in lots of powdery spores, not because of an inherent toxicity, but simply because of a physical obstruction to airflow. This is not a rare species in the Canberra area but, despite the fact that it looks quite striking in this photo, it is easy to overlook if it appears in thick mulch or plant litter. You may see only a few at a time but occasionally large colonies appear.
zoedog66 wrote:
   31 Jan 2018
Thanks Heino - am relatively new to the area, so will keep my eyes peeled.

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Location information

Sighting information

Species information

  • Geastrum tenuipes Scientific name
  • An earthstar Common name
  • Not Sensitive
  • Local native
  • Non-invasive or negligible
  • Up to 771.66m Recorded at altitude
  • Machine learning

Record quality

  • Images or audio
  • More than one media file
  • Verified by an expert moderator
  • Nearby sighting(s) of same species
  • GPS evidence of location
  • Description
  • Additional attributes
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