XVI International Botanical Congess

Chorioactis geaster (Pezizales, Ascomycota) is known from Texas, USA and Kyushu, Japan. The large, hollow-clavate ascomata of C. geaster split at maturity to expose a stellate hymenium. Many aspects of the biology of this conspicuous, rare fungus remain unknown. For instance, due to ecological differences as well as the extreme geographic, and likely temporal and genetic, separation of the populations, they may represent two species. Additionally, recent collections from Japan are associated with a conidial fungus, which may be the anamorph, that can be found even when the locally rare C. geaster ascomata are absent. We use molecular and other data to examine these issues within a phylogenetic framework.