Myriostoma, the salt-shaker earthstar, is the largest fungus in the earthstar family, with a fruit body up to 12 cm (4.7 in) across. It has been found in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America. It grows in humus-rich forests or in woodlands, especially on well-drained and sandy soils. Myriostoma coliforme, the only species in the genus, is somewhat rare, appearing on the Red Lists of 12 European countries. It was one of 33 species proposed for protection in 2004 under the Bern Convention by the European Council for Conservation of Fungi. The inedible fruit body, initially shaped like a puffball, is encased in an outer covering that splits open from the top to form rays. These pieces curve down in a star shape to expose a papery spore case surrounding the fertile spore-bearing tissue, the gleba. The fungus is unique among the earthstars in having a spore sac that is supported by multiple stalks, and is perforated by several small holes, suggestive of its common name. The spores are dispersed when falling water hits the sac, forcing them up through the holes.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriostoma
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1002:
King Æthelred II ordered the massacre of all Danes in England. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Brice%27s_Day_massacre
1642:
First English Civil War: The Royalist army engaged the much larger Parliamentarian army at the Battle of Turnham Green near Turnham Green, Middlesex. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Turnham_Green
1927:
The Holland Tunnel, connecting Manhattan with Jersey City, New Jersey, under the Hudson River, opened. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland_Tunnel
1992:
The High Court of Australia ruled in Dietrich v The Queen that although there is no absolute right to have publicly funded counsel, in most circumstances a judge should grant any request for an adjournment or stay when an accused is unrepresented. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietrich_v_The_Queen
2007:
An explosion hit the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City, the Philippines, killing Congressman Wahab Akbar and at least four others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batasang_Pambansa_bombing
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
go it alone: 1. (colloquial) To do something alone or independently, especially something that is normally or better done in groups. 2. (card games) To play a hand without the assistance of one's partner. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/go_it_alone
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
Some men are called sagacious, merely on account of their avarice: whereas a child can clench its fist the moment it is born. --William Shenstone https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Shenstone