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This fungus was brought in by a student in my wife's 6th-grade science class. The fungus was found on the ground in woods near Driftwood, TX. The structure is probably about 8 inches long. (I think the 2nd and 3rd shots are on a standard Rubbermaid lid; the central rectangle of that lid measures just shy of 8" in length.) I'm not sure how it grew or opened up, but it's basically the shape of a partially open banana peel. I have little familiarity with fungi, but I'm quite certain I've never seen anything like this.
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This fungus was brought in by a student in my wife's 6th-grade science class. The fungus was found on the ground in woods near Driftwood, TX. The structure is probably about 8 inches long. (I think the 2nd and 3rd shots are on a standard Rubbermaid lid; the central rectangle of that lid measures just shy of 8" in length.) I'm not sure how it grew or opened up, but it's basically the shape of a partially open banana peel. I have little familiarity with fungi, but I'm quite certain I've never seen anything like this.
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This fungus was brought in by a student in my wife's 6th-grade science class. The fungus was found on the ground in woods near Driftwood, TX. The structure is probably about 8 inches long. (I think the 2nd and 3rd shots are on a standard Rubbermaid lid; the central rectangle of that lid measures just shy of 8" in length.) I'm not sure how it grew or opened up, but it's basically the shape of a partially open banana peel. I have little familiarity with fungi, but I'm quite certain I've never seen anything like this.
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In a bottomland hardwood forest. Watch for even better photos from Brennan3909.
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In a bottomland hardwood forest. Watch for even better photos from Brennan3909.
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In a bottomland hardwood forest. Watch for even better photos from Brennan3909.
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In a bottomland hardwood forest. Watch for even better photos from Brennan3909.
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Thanks @sambiology for ID! Such a cool fungi!
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Thanks @sambiology for ID! Such a cool fungi!
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Thanks @sambiology for ID! Such a cool fungi!
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Thanks @sambiology for ID! Such a cool fungi!
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Devil's Cigar (Chorioactis geaster) observed at Hamilton Pool Preserve.
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Devil's Cigar (Chorioactis geaster) observed at Hamilton Pool Preserve.
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In ephemeral waterway. Creek bed has organic soil (very low, if any, mineral component). Cedar elm (U. crassifolia) woodland.
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On a nature walk with a group of folks from Richardson, we spotted this really amazing fungus. It was quite exciting. :)
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On a nature walk with a group of folks from Richardson, we spotted this really amazing fungus. It was quite exciting. :)
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On a nature walk with a group of folks from Richardson, we spotted this really amazing fungus. It was quite exciting. :)
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Chorioactis geaster - Texas Star or Devil's Cigar, is a fungus in the family Chorioactidaceae. The fruit bodies are found growing in the dead roots of cedar elm trees (Ulmus crassifolia). This is a new county for this extremely rare species. Until recent discovery in Tarrant County, it was found in only six Texas counties in the US. It might be the only known location in a Texas state park. This fungus produces an audible hiss when releasing spores as it cracks open. This Texas Star is extremely inconspicuous and is probably much more common than it is thought to be. It is also found in one prefecture in Japan, but a DNA study of Texas and Japanese collections of Chorioactis geaster by Peterson and collaborators (2004) determined that the North American and Asian specimens were phylogenetically distinct, and appear to have separated into two lineages about 19 million years ago.
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Chorioactis geaster - Texas Star or Devil's Cigar, is a fungus in the family Chorioactidaceae. The fruit bodies are found growing in the dead roots of cedar elm trees (Ulmus crassifolia). This is a new county for this extremely rare species. Until recent discovery in Tarrant County, it was found in only six Texas counties in the US. It might be the only known location in a Texas state park. This fungus produces an audible hiss when releasing spores as it cracks open. This Texas Star is extremely inconspicuous and is probably much more common than it is thought to be. It is also found in one prefecture in Japan, but a DNA study of Texas and Japanese collections of Chorioactis geaster by Peterson and collaborators (2004) determined that the North American and Asian specimens were phylogenetically distinct, and appear to have separated into two lineages about 19 million years ago.
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