Glossary
Adnate:Gills attatched broadly to the stalk
Adnexed:
Gills attatched narrowly to the stalk
Amorphous:
Lacking a patterned character, indistinct or unorganized in shape
Amyloid:
Staining blue or black in iodine
Annulus:
A collar of tissue found on a fungal stalk formed by the remains of a ruptured veil; also known as a ring
Apical Pore:
An opening at the top of some gasteromycetes through which spores are released
Ascocarp:
The fruiting body of an ascomycete
Ascogonium:
The receptive or 'female' gametangium of ascomycete fungi
Ascomycete:
Belonging to subdivision Ascomycota
Ascus:
The sac-shaped mother cell of ascomycetes in which spores are produced
Basidiocarp:
The fruiting body of a basidiomycete
Basidiomycete:
Belonging to subdivision Basidiomycota
Basidium:
The club-shaped cell of basidiomycetes on which spores are formed
Bolete:
A fleshy mushroom with pores rather than gills on the underside of its cap
Bracket Fungus:
Fungi with tough, shelf-shaped basidiocarps growing on trees or rotting wood, also known as shelf fungi or conks
Bruising:
Changing color when handled or damaged
Button:
A young fruiting body which has not yet opened up fully
Cap:
The cap-shaped part of a fruiting body which supports the spore-bearing surface
Conidium:
Asexual spores not contained within a sporangium, formed from specialized hyphae
Concentric:
Sharing a common center
Convex:
Curving outwards
Coral Fungus:
Fungi with erect, branching fruiting bodies; often brightly colored
Cristate:
Crested
Crust Fungus:
Fungi with an unspecialized spore-bearing surface, often resupinate; similar in appearance to polypores but lacking actual pores
Decurrent (gills):
Gills running down the stalk
Depressed:
Flattened in shape or having a greater width than height
Dikaryon:
A state midway through fertilization, after cytoplasmic fusion but before nucleic fusion
Dolipore:
A central pore in a septum surrounded by a barrel-shaped swelling of the cell wall
Egg:
The spore-containing capsule found in bird's nest fungi (Order Nidulariales); also, the immature fruiting body of species with a universal veil
Fibrillose:
Having or consisting of threadlike structures or filaments
Free (gills):
Gills not attatched to the stalk
Fruiting Body:
The reproductive structure of a fungus
Gametangium:
A cell or structure in which gametes are formed
Gamete:
A haploid reproductive cell
Gasteromycete:
Basidiomycete fungi in which the spore-bearing cells are enclosed by the fruiting body; no longer recognized as a valid Linnean taxon
Gills:
Spore-producing blade-shaped structures on the underside of a fungal cap
Gleba:
The spore-producing tissue of gasteromycetes
Hyaline:
Colorless, transparent
Hypha:
Threadlike tubular filaments, comprising the mycelium of a fungus
Jelly Fungus:
Members of Order Tremellales, characterized by their gelatinous fruiting bodies
Karyogamy:
Fusion of two haploid nuclei into a single diploid nucleus
Latex:
A clear, milky, or colorless fluid secreted by members of the genus Lactarius
Luminescent:
Glowing as a result of biological or chemical processes rather than heat or incandescence
Margin:
The edge of the cap or gills
Mucilaginous:
Slimy or gelatinous; or producing slimy or gelatinous secretions
Mutualism:
A close interaction or relationship between two species in which both derive benefits
Mycelium:
The mass of hyphae forming the nonreproductive 'body' of a fungus
Mycorrhiza:
The mutualistic assosiation between the hyphae of a fungus and the roots of a plant, wherein the plant provides the fungus with fixed carbon sugars and the fungus gives the plant greater access to minerals in the soil
Notched (gills):
Abruptly adnexed, appearing as if a wedge of tissue had been removed
Parasitism:
A close interaction between two species in which one benefits at the other's expense
Parthenosome:
A membrane capping septal pores
Partial Veil:
A layer of tissue which covers and protects the gills of some immature mushrooms
Peridiole:
Small spore-containing capsules; the "eggs" of bird's nest fungi
Peridium:
The outer layer of a gasteromycete fruiting body
Plane:
Flat, lacking significant curvature
Polymorphic:
Having more than one form or appearance when mature
Polypore:
Tough, tree-dwelling fungi which bears spores in a specialized pore surface
Pore:
The external mouth of the spore-bearing tubes of polypores and boletes
Punky:
Spongy in texture
Radial:
Arranged in spokes coming outward from a central point
Resupinate:
Inverted, bent backward, or upside down in appearance
Rhizomorph:
A cordlike structure consisting of fused or entangled hyphae, similar in function to a plant root
Ring:
A collar of tissue found on a fungal stalk formed by the remains of a ruptured veil; also known as an annulus
Rusts:
Members of Class Uredinomycetes, microscopic and often parasitic on plants
Scale:
A patch of differentiated tissue, often a different color or texture than the surrounding flesh
Septum:
A partition or cross-wall
Smuts:
Members of Class Ustilaginomycetes, microscopic and invariably plant parasites
Species Complex:
A group of organisms with identical or near-identical phenotypes currently classified as one species but which may, in fact, consist of multiple distinct genetic groups
Sporangium:
A hollow structure in which spores are produced
Spore:
A reproductive cell capable of developing into an adult form without fusion with another cell
Stalk:
The stemlike structure supporting the cap of a mushroom
Sterigma:
The stalklike structure of basidia from which spores emerge
Substrate:
The surface or material on which an organism grows
Tooth Fungus:
Basidiomycete fungi in which the underside of the cap bears conical spines rather than gills or pores
Umbonate:
Having an upraised knob or bump at the center
Universal Veil:
A layer of tissue covering the entire immature stage of some mushrooms
Viscid:
Sticky or slimy when moist
Volva:
The layer of tissue surrounding the stalk base after the rupture of the universal veil
Yeasts:
A polyphyletic grouping of unicellular fungi with members from both Ascomycota and Basidiomycota
