 Similar to other Discomycetes , the fruit body consists of three distinct layers of tissue : the hymenium , the hypothecium , and the excipulum . The spore @-@ bearing hymenium , the outermost layer of cells , contains asci interspersed with sterile cells called paraphyses . In C. geaster , the club @-@ shaped asci are 700 – 800 µm long and 14 – 17 @.@ 25 µm thick ; they are abruptly constricted at the base to a narrow pedicel . The paraphyses are initially filamentous or thread @-@ like ( filiform ) but swell with age to resemble a string of beads ( moniliform ) . The swelling of the paraphyses is believed to cause the expansion of the hymenium and subsequent splitting of the fruit body into rays ; this development places the asci into an optimal position for spore release and dispersal . Supporting the cells of the hymenium is a thin layer of tightly interwoven hyphae called the hypothecium , and underneath this is a thick layer of loosely interwoven hyphae known as the excipulum . This tissue layer , analogous to parenchyma found in plants , gives the tissue a fibrous texture . The excipulum layer averages 34 µm in diameter , while the hypothecium is 10 – 14 µm . When viewed with electron microscopy , the dark brown " hairs " on the surface of the fruit body can be seen to be adorned with conical warts or spines . 
