Like other earthstar mushrooms, the thick outer skin splits open at maturity, exposing the spore sac to the elements.

[1] In 1799, English naturalist James Sowerby wrote:So strange a vegetable has surprised many; and in the year 1695 it was published under the name of Fungus Anthropomorphus, and figured with human faces on the head.

The immature fruit body is roughly spherical in shape, typically 1–4 centimetres (1⁄2–1+1⁄2 inches) in diameter, and dark brown in color.

[4] The uncommon fungus can be found singly or in small groups in the southwest United States between October and March.

[7][8] Methanol extracts of G. fornicatum have been shown to have antimicrobial properties, inhibiting the growth of various bacteria that are pathogenic to humans, including Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhimurium, and Streptococcus pyogenes, as well as the fungi Candida albicans, Rhodotorula rubra, and Kluyveromyces fragilis.