Wild edible gasteroid fungus Astraeus (Diplocystidiaceae) from Jharkhand, India
Vineet Vishal1,2, Somnath Singh Munda1, Geetanjali Singh1 and Shalini Lal1*
1Department of Botany, Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee University, Ranchi-834008 (India) 2Department of Botany, Bangabasi Evening College, Kolkata-700009 (India) *Corresponding Author- shalini.kumari@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
The gasteroid fungus Astraeus is a highly valued wild edible mushroom consumed in various parts of India and other Asian countries. It is often referred to as a “False Earthstar” because of the star-like presence which is formed at maturity. Astraeus is an ectomycorrhizal fungus that colonizes the Dipterocarpaceae, Pinaceae, Betulaceae and Ericaceae forest trees species growing in sandy or loamy rich lateritic soil. The mycological survey between June-July, 2019 of Sal forest of the Porahat forest division of Jharkhand state of India resulted in collection of two notable earthstar species namely A. asiaticus and A. odoratus. A. asiaticus is distinguished by a whitish sub-epigeous basidiomes with sub-hygroscopic rays and has been found for the first time in India. A. odoratus is distinguished by a mosaic pattern on the surface of basidiomes and represents second report form Indian Subcontinent. These species are superficially similar but distinct in morphological, anatomical and phylogenetic traits. The present work is aimed to contribute to the knowledge of Astraeus diversity and distribution in Jharkhand mycoflora based on morpho-anatomical, molecular and phylogenetic studies. Species description, images of basidiomes, SEM images of basidiospore are provided.