Article of the day for April 8, 2016
The Article of the day for April 8, 2016 is Calostoma cinnabarinum.
Calostoma cinnabarinum is a species of gasteroid fungus in the family Sclerodermataceae. Commonly called the stalked puffball-in-aspic or gelatinous stalked puffball, it is the species most commonly associated with genus Calostoma. The fruit body has a layer of yellowish jelly surrounding a spherical bright red head atop a spongy red or yellowish brown stalk. The innermost layer of the head, called the gleba, contains clear or slightly yellowish elliptical spores. The spore surface features a pattern of small pits, producing a net-like appearance. In eastern North America, Central America, northeastern South America, and East Asia, it grows on the ground in deciduous forests, where it forms a symbiotic relationship with oak roots. Despite its appearance and common name, C. cinnabarinum is not related to some other stalked puffballs, true puffballs, earthstars, or stinkhorns, though during its complex taxonomic history it has at various times been confused with each of those groups. It is typically considered inedible, but is eaten or used in folk medicine in some areas.
Calostoma cinnabarinum is a species of gasteroid fungus in the family Sclerodermataceae. Commonly called the stalked puffball-in-aspic or gelatinous stalked puffball, it is the species most commonly associated with genus Calostoma. The fruit body has a layer of yellowish jelly surrounding a spherical bright red head atop a spongy red or yellowish brown stalk. The innermost layer of the head, called the gleba, contains clear or slightly yellowish elliptical spores. The spore surface features a pattern of small pits, producing a net-like appearance. In eastern North America, Central America, northeastern South America, and East Asia, it grows on the ground in deciduous forests, where it forms a symbiotic relationship with oak roots. Despite its appearance and common name, C. cinnabarinum is not related to some other stalked puffballs, true puffballs, earthstars, or stinkhorns, though during its complex taxonomic history it has at various times been confused with each of those groups. It is typically considered inedible, but is eaten or used in folk medicine in some areas.
