Summary:
{See also Earthstars Table.} Features include 1) a small fruitbody 1.5-3cm across when expanding by splitting into 6-10 nonhygroscopic rays, 2) the outermost layer of the rays encrusting debris, 3) a spore case that is pale gray-brown, sometimes whitish-pruinose, with a fibrillose mouth delimited by a weak groove, 4) a short stalk on the spore case, and 5) microscopic characters.
A collection from BC by T. McIntosh was deposited at the University of British Columbia and determined as Geastrum minimum by Robert Chapman.
Outer Surface:
developing underground, more or less spherical or depressed, encrusted with debris, 1.5-3cm across when expanded, splitting into 6-10 non-hygroscopic rays, the rays "arched or somewhat recurved beneath the fruitbody, sometimes horizontal"; outermost mycelial layer "persistent, encrusting soil and debris", middle fibrous layer pale gray-brown, rarely exposed, innermost pseudoparenchymatous layer whitish becoming brown, splitting when old or dry, "sometimes forming a collar around the stalk", (Pegler), 0.5-1cm, more or less spherical, "outer peridium granular, encrusted with debris, brownish", splitting when mature into 6-10 pointed rays revealing the spore case, the rays sometimes curling beneath the fruitbody, (Buczacki) Inner layer:
spores case 0.7-1cm across, more or less spherical, pale gray-brown, "sometimes whitish-pruinose with crystalline matter" which may be lost when old; peristome (mouth) "fibrillose, delimited by a weak groove", (Pegler), spores case 0.7-1cm across, opening by fibrous central apical pore with pale halo, (Buczacki)
Spore Mass:
brown when mature, columella cylindric to clavate, whitish, (Pegler), eventually brown (Buczacki)
Stem:
stalk about 0.1cm high, brownish, (Pegler), stalk short (Buczacki)
Microscopic:
spores (4.8)5-6(6.2) microns excluding ornamentation, (5.5)6-7.5 microns including ornamentation, round, dark brown, verruculose, the verruculae 0.4-0.7 microns high, up to 2 microns wide, "irregular, rather coarse, sometimes coalescent"; basidia not seen; capillitial hyphae 3-6 microns wide, "yellow-brown, thick-walled, usually with a narrow lumen, gradually tapered towards the tips and occasionally forked, irregularly encrusted, particularly towards the tips", (Pegler), spores 5-6.5 microns across excluding ornamentation, round, coarsely warty, dark brown, (Buczacki)
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