of ejection tears open the purse, and results in the expansion of the funicular cord, formerly coiled under pressure in the lower part of the purse. The peridioles, followed by the highly adhesive funicular cord and basal hapteron, may hit a nearby plant stem or stick. The hapteron sticks to it, and the funicular cord wraps around the stem or stick powered by the force of the still-moving peridiole. After drying out, the peridiole remains attached to the vegetation, where it may be eaten by a grazing herbivorous animal, and later deposited in that animal's dung to continue the life cycle. Bioactive compoundsCyathus helenae produces a series of diterpenoid chemical compounds known as cyathins, which have antibiotic properties against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus. The capacity to produce cyathins—similar to C. striatus and C. africanus—is limited to haploid strains. The basic chemical structure of the cyathins, known as the cyathane'' skeleton, is chemically unique and has been investigated using carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR); molecules with this structure have also been created synthetically. See also List of Cyathus species References Cited text Nidulariaceae Fungi described in 1966 Fungi of Central America Fungi of Brazil Fungi of North America