Public
- Public
- Network
- Groups
- Featured
- Popular
- People

Conversation

Notices

Embed this notice
ahistorical immaterialist (jimbob@aus.social)'s status on Friday, 09-Jan-2026 10:29:13 JST ahistorical immaterialist

TIL there is a species of fungus found only in Texas and Japan, and genetic analysis suggests the two populations have been separated for 19 million years https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorioactis?wprov=sfla1
In conversation about 4 months ago from aus.social permalink
Attachments
1. Domain not in remote thumbnail source whitelist: upload.wikimedia.org
  
  Chorioactis
  
  Chorioactis is a genus of fungi that contains the single species Chorioactis geaster. The mushroom is commonly known as the devil's cigar or the Texas star in the United States, while in Japan it is called kirinomitake (キリノミタケ). This extremely rare mushroom is notable for its unusual appearance and disjunct distribution; it is found only in select locales in Texas and Japan. The fruit body, which grows on the stumps or dead roots of cedar elms (in Texas) or dead oaks (in Japan), somewhat resembles a dark brown or black cigar before it splits open radially into a starlike arrangement of four to seven leathery rays. The interior surface of the fruit body bears the spore-bearing tissue known as the hymenium, and is colored white to brown, depending on its age. The fruit body opening can be accompanied by a distinct hissing sound and the release of a smoky cloud of spores. Fruit bodies were first collected in Austin, Texas, and the species was named Urnula...

Feeds