Plants at first globose and submerged, becoming superficial and expanded when to 3.5 cm. across. Exoperidium split to about the middle into 5-12 subequal, expanded, acute rays; fleshy layer brown, unequally flaking away in irregular patches, leaving the ochraceous fibrous layer exposed; exterior covered with debris held by the adnate mycelial layer, which is persistent but tends to flake away; base concave. Endoperidium pedicellate, subglobose or depressed globose, 1-2 cm. diameter, brown or lead coloured, often farinose, base tapering into the pedicel, striate or not, apophysis present or absent; pedicel slender, 3-6 mm. long. Peristome sulcate, prominent, narrowly conical and concolorous. Gleba ferruginous; pseudo-columella inevident; capillitium threads tinted, fusiform, continuous, unbranched. Spores globose, 5-6 um diameter, epispore dark umber brown, 0.5 um thick, closely covered with irregular, prominent, flat-topped warts. Four closely related species fall within a section characterized by the sulcate peristome, non-hygroscopic exoperidium and pedicellate, smooth endoperidium. Although specific characters are not always constant, typical forms may be identified readily by the features given in the key.

DISTRIBUTION: Europe; North America; South Africa; Australia; New Zealand. Queensland: Lower Archer River, Gulf of Carpentaria (4). New South Wales: Milson Island, Hawkesbury River (1). Victoria: Healesville; Marysville (4). South Australia: Black Hill, Adelaide, three collections; Port Elliot; Glen Osmond; Port Lincoln, det by Lloyd as G.schmidelii; National Park; Mt. Serle (1). New Zealand: Wellington—Otaki Forks. Otago—Dunedin (2).

TYPE LOCALITY : Europe