[2] Myriostoma was classified in the family Geastraceae until 1973, when British mycologist Donald Dring placed it in the Astraeaceae[nb 1] based on the presence of trabeculae (stout columns that extend from the peridium to the central core of the fruit body) in the gleba, and the absence of a true hymenium.

[6][7] Recent molecular research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences, has shown that the genus, previously thought to be monotypic, comprises at least six species worldwide.

[11][12] The fruit bodies start their development underground or buried in leaf debris, linked to a strand of mycelium at the base.

As they mature, the exoperidium (the outer tissue layer of the peridium) splits open into 7 to 14 rays which curve backward; this pushes the fruit body above the substrate.

The inner pseudoparenchymatous layer (so named for the resemblance to the tightly packed cells of plant parenchyma) is fleshy and thick when fresh, and initially pale beige but darkening to yellow or brown as it matures, often cracking and peeling off in the process.

The roughly spherical spore sac (endoperidium) is supported by a cluster of short columns shaped like flattened spheres.

The gleba has a cotton-like texture that, when compressed, allows the endoperidium to flex quickly and create a puff of air that is forced out through the ostioles.