Order Gasteromycetes.' Sub-order Trichoyastres P 



Plate II. 



GEASTER^ LIMBATUS^ Fries. 



Multifid Starry Pi/ff-baU. 

 Geu. Char. Peridiuin double, outer distinct, splitting into rays. 



S;pec. Char. G. limbatus. Outer peridium coriaceous, multifid, expanded ; inner subpyriform pedunculate, mouth 

 fimbriato-pilose, depressed, sub-acute. 



Geaster limbatus, Fries, Berkeley. 



multifidiun, Greville. 



Lycoperdon steUatum, Hudson, Woodtmrd, Sowerby, Withermg, Ptirton. 

 Geasteum steUatum, Gray. 



Hab. On liedge-banks, in loose sandy soU. 



The Geasters, or Starry Puff-balls, are not only interesting from their beauty and curious mechanism, 

 but from their rarity ; wliich is the cause of great inaccm-acy in many descriptions of them, the accounts we 

 have being cliiefly traditions, handed down from one botanist to another since the time of Eay ; not skilful 

 discriminations from fresh specimens : when, therefore, a Geaster does present itself, the difficulty of 

 identifying it is great. Nature has bestowed extreme care in guarding tliis Fungus fi-om external im- 

 pressions, not only having given it an outer peridium, or envelope, but also hygrometric properties, which 

 in wet weather cause the volva-Uke case, wliich is of a consistence between cork and leather, to close over 

 the delicate little ball inside ^ It is obvious that many English seasons must be unpropitious to the growth 

 of a plant needing all this protection, and wliich, even in its great-coat, chooses the most sheltered nooks 

 for its habitat. 



The summer of 1846, so genial towards all the Fungus tribe, was a favourable opportunity for the 

 Geasters to venture forth. On the 28th of August a remarkable group of G. limbatus was foimd on a most 

 sheltered hedge-bank (a site all observers have concurred in gi\ang to it), wliich had been made with road- 

 drift, forming a very loose soil. There were lying, their rays intersecting each other, and the small and 

 weak pushed aside by the robust, eleven perfect Earth-stars, in a space not more than eighteen inches 

 square j the remains of others were also found, making, in all, eighteen in that one spot. They were in 



' From yaa-rtfp, the stomach, and iivktjs, a. fungus; hymenium included in the receptacle. 



^ From 6p\^, a hair, and ■yao-njp, the stomach ; receptacle fiUed with floccose hairs, on which the spores are placed. 



^ From y^, the mrtt, and (icmjp, a s/ar ; Earth-star. ** Fringed; with reference to the cUiato-iimbriate mouth. 



' Perhaps all Geasters are hygrometric when young, only losing their sensibility ivith age, in which state the 

 rays become flaccid and then expand still flatter on being wetted ; as was the case with those mentioned by Sowerby. 



