Geastrum sinense X. Yang & C. L. Zhao, 2025

Geastrum sinense X. Yang & C. L. Zhao sp. nov.

Figs 6 View Figure 6 , 7 View Figure 7

Holotype.

China • Fujian Province, Xiamen, Siming District, Xiamen Botanical Garden , 24°27'N, 118°6'E, elev. 179 m, on the ground, 24 May 2024, CLZhao 36033 ( SWFC). GoogleMaps

Etymology.

Sinense (Lat.): referring to the species being found in China.

Description.

Fruiting body: Expanded basidiomata medium sized, 10–25 mm in height, 15–40 mm in diameter. Exoperidium: arched, dehiscence often halfway down, splits into 5–9 lobes at maturity, lobes 3–10 mm wide, mostly rolled outward to under the outer exoperidial disc, tapered at the front end, turn to soft and thin upon drying. Mycelial layer: pinkish buff, without debris, not easily dislodged. Fibrous layer: white, tightly attached to the mycelial layer. Pseudoparenchymatous layer: smooth surface, cream to pink, not deciduous, aseptic collar when fresh, clay-buff to grayish brown, thinner and soft when dry.

Endoperidial body: Globular, 8–15 mm in diameter, projecting apically, 1–3 mm length, sessile. Endoperidium pale to dark brown. Peristome broadly conical, fibrillose, dark brown to gray, distinctly delimited.

Hyphal structure: Capillitial hyphae: up to 4.5–6.5 µm in diameter, thick-walled to subsolid, brown, occasionally branched, IKI –, CB –; tissues unchanged in KOH. Exoperidium mycelium layer outside, mycelium hyphae slightly thick-walled to thick-walled, 4–5 µm in diameter. fibrous layer in the middle, formed of the interlacing filament tissue, fibrous hyphae slightly thick-walled, 3–4.5 µm in diameter; pseudoparenchymatous layer inside, formed of the angular cell structured, 20–75 × 13–25 µm;

Basidiospores: Spherical, 2.6–3 (– 3.5) × 2.5–3 (– 3.5) µm in diameter, yellowish brown to dark brown, IKI –, CB –; spore surface with echinulate, 0.4–0.8 µm in length, Q = 1.01, Q m = 1.01 ± 0.01.

Additional specimens examined

(paratypes). China • Fujian Province, Xiamen, Siming, Xiamen Botanical Garden , 24°27'N, 118°6'E, elev. 179 m, on the ground, 24 May 2024, CLZhao 36029; CLZhao 36031; CLZhao 36032 and CLZhao 36038 ( SWFC) GoogleMaps .

Notes.

Based on ITS + nLSU + RPB 1 + ATP 6 data (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ), G. sinense was sister to G. melanorhynchum . The G. sinense resembles G. oxysepalum and G. floriforme in sharing sessile endoperidial body. However, G. oxysepalum differs from G. sinense by its shallowly saccate expanded basidiomata, and non-constant peristomal ring ( Wang and Bau 2023); G. floriforme can be distinguished from G. sinense by its deep saccate expanded basidiomata, and larger basidiospores (5.5–7 µm, Zhou et al. 2007)