A new record of the rare earthstar Geastrum berkeleyi from the Świętokrzyskie Mts

The article presents the third record of Geastrum berkeleyi Massee in Poland. For a long time the only known Polish locality of the species was in Kobylnica near Poznań, where G. berkeleyi was recorded in 1934. The fungus was found for the second time as recently as 2007 in Rąbiń (Kościan County). In 2009 this earthstar species was recorded in Milechowy reserve near Chęciny, in the western part of the Świętokrzyskie Mts (square ATPoL Ee 72). In the last mentioned locality, fruit-bodies of this rare fungus were recorded in a thermophilous forest habitats and also in a xerothermic anthropogenic shrublands, on a sandy calcareous soil. A comparison of diagnostic features of Geastrum berkeleyi var. berkeleyi and G. berkeleyi var. continentale is also given.


INTRODUCTION
The genus Geastrum is represented in Poland by 17 species (Wojewoda 2003).Considering a characteristic morphological structure of fruitbodies they are relatively easy to recognize.Differences between particular species concern above all the sizes of fruitbodies, the shape of an exoperidium, the means in which an endoperidial body is attached to the exoperidium, the structure of a peristome, the habitat requirements and some microscopic features, especially the structure and the size of basidiospores.
All species of the genus Geastrum are either rare or very rare and only a few, such as Geastrum quadrifidum DC.: Pers., G. rufescens Pers., G. fimbriatum Fr. and G. minimum Schwein.can be considered as relatively frequently occurring.Since 2004 all species of this genus are strictly protected in Poland (Rozporządzenie 2004).
Fruit-bodies typical for genus Geastrum.Immature fruit-bodies are closed and subglobose, 1-3.5 (4) cm in diameter.Exoperidium consists of three layers, and in the unexpanded fruit-bodies closely invests endoperidium.The exterior surface of young basidioma covered with plant debris and soil particles held by the adnate, light ochre-brown and sometimes rose tinged mycelial layer.As the fruit-bodies ripens the mycelial coating tends to flake away and the smooth, not shiny fibrillar layer is uncovered.Exoperidium splits open from the tip to about the middle in a stellate fashion divided into 4-10 triangular flaps (6-7 flaps in the specimens collected in Milechowy reserve).Due to swelling of pseudoparenchymal cells of exoperidium, the triangular flaps curve outwards and make contact with the soil, lifting the inner endoperidial layer of fruit-bodies into the air (Fig. 2).In such cases the flaps diameter reaches 4-10 cm.The inner, fleshy layer of exoperidium is breakable and redish-brown or ochre coloured.Endoperidium globose or slightly flattened, usually has diameter from 1 to 3 cm and it is seated upon a short but broad pedicel, which can be usually clearly seen only in dried specimens.Indistinct apophysis is present, but also is frequently clearly seen in dry specimens only.Endoperidium is ochre-brown, dark brown, grey-brown coloured, and in older fruit-bodies is grey in colour.Its surface is coarsely verrucose, except for a smooth, circular area surrounding peristome.Peristome conical, distinctly plicate with about 15-18 folds, grey-brown to brown.Its opening is crest-like frayed or bluntly ended.
The collected specimens have been deposited in the Fungarium of the Mathematics and nature Faculty, Jan Kochanowski University, Kielce (KTC 4305).
Geastrum berkeleyi shows particular similarities to a few other species belonging to this genus.G. campestre Morgan.(syn.G. pedicellatum (Batsch) Dörfelt & Müll.-Uri),G. kotlabae V.J. Staněk and G. pectinatum Pers.: Pers.are the other taxa having a plicate, conical peristomes and except for the third mentionedmealy covered or rough surface of endoperidia.However, G. campestre is marked by its hygroscopic rays, more persistent pseudoparenchymatous layer of the exoperidium and smaller fruit-bodies (usually 6-20 mm in diameter) as well.G. kotlabae is also distinguished from G. berkeleyi by its strongly hygroscopic rays and more persistent pseudoparenchymatous layer of the exoperidium as well as additionally by the sessily seated endoperidial bodies.The surface of exoperidial bodies of G. kotlabae is also somewhat different.It is farinose in young fruit-bodies, and usually glabrous in older basidiomata.The features differentiating G. pectinatum from G. berkeleyi can mainly be seen in the morphology of pedicel and apophysis.G. pectinatum is characterized by having a long pedicel, and usually radially wrinkled -sulcate or striate apophysis, while the pedicel of G. berkeleyi is low and broad, and the apophysis is smooth.Also, G. pectinatum differs from G. berkeleyi in smooth surface of endoperidium.
In most European countries where the species was noted it appears on the "red lists" of threatened fungi: in Austria is listed as endangered by extinction ("1" category), in the Czech Republic and Denmark as critically endangered ("CR" and "E" category), in Estonia as vulnerable ("V" category), in Germany as a rarity ("R" ca tegory), in the netherlands as susceptible and rare ("GE(z)" category), in Slovakia as vulnerable ("VU" category) and in Great Britain and Sweden as endangered ("En" category) (Evans 2006;Wojewoda 2003).Geastrum berkeleyi was considered to be "extinct and probably extinct" in the last edition of the "Red list of macrofungi in Poland" (Wojewoda, Ławrynowicz 1992(Wojewoda, Ławrynowicz , 2006)).Certainly, the species is not extinct in Poland.Currently, it occurs at least in two localities in the area and therefore the status of the taxon should be changed to endangered.
The detailed ecology of G. berkeleyi in northern Europe was addressed by Sunhede (1989).other valuable data on the ecology of the earthstar in Europe were also provided by Staněk (1958), Dörfelt (1985) and Kreisel (1987).According to these authors, G. berkeleyi occurs mostly on sun-warm sites, in coniferous and deciduous forests, groves and tree plantations (with Picea, Pinus, Acer, Carpinus, Corylus, Crataegus, Fagus, Fraxinus, Juniperus, Prunus, Quercus and Tilia), on well drained, base-rich ground, especially on calcareous soils.It is also known from pine and xerothermic shrubs, Syringa-shrubberies and open sites.Most finds of fresh fruit-bodies of the species have been made in September and october, but records from the end of August and beginning of December are also known.Basidocarps of G. berkeleyi can grow scattered or in clusters, sometimes in bows or fairy rings (Sunhede 1989).
Until now G. berkeleyi was reported from two various habitats in Poland, i.e.: from a margin of spruce grove (Teodorowicz 1939) and a riparian ash forest with undercrop of Crataegus and Prunus (Kujawa, Gierczyk 2010).The new, presented here locality of G. berkeleyi recorded in Milechowy reserve was observed on sandy, calcareous soil in thermophilous forest habitat.
The floristic composition of the plant habitat, in which several fruit-bodies of the species were found is as follow: tree layer with 70% density, shrub layer with 15% density, herb layer with 40% cover, moss layer with 30% cover.
ornamentation of spores up to 15 verrucae along the circumference 12 -16 verrucae along the circumference

Table 1
Comparison of diagnostic features of Geastrum berkeleyi var.berkeleyi and G. berkeleyi var.continentale