This glossary of mycology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to mycology, the study of fungi. Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning. Related terms can be found in glossary of biology and glossary of botany, among others. List of Latin and Greek words commonly used in systematic names and Botanical Latin may also be relevant, although some prefixes and suffixes very common in mycology are repeated here for clarity.
A
a- an- Prefix meaning "without" or "not".
aboospore An asexually-produced (parthenogenetic) oospore.
abrupt Terminating suddenly; appearing to be cut off transversely; truncate. For example, the stipe of some Hohenbuehelia has this characteristic.
abscission Separation, such as a spore detaching from a sporogenous cell. From Latin abscissio, breaking off.
abstriction A method of spore formation in fungi characterized by abjunction and then abscission. Spores are produced in a sporogenous filament. In abjunction, they are then separated by transverse walls or septa, with the result spores are grouped in short chains. In abscission, successive portions are cut off and released.
acidophilous acidophilic Organisms that can grow in high-acidity environments; in mycology, lichens that can grow in peaty soil or on acidic tree bark.
acropetal A chain of conidia where new spores are formed at the apex, with the oldest at the base. Compare with basipetal.
acropleurogenous
pleuroacrogenous Formed at the apex and along the sides; e.g. conidia of Trichothecium.
adiaspore Conidium of Emmonsia parva. A large spore that increases notably in size, but does not divide. Upon being inhalted in the lungs of humans and animals, can cause adiaspiromycosis disease. From Gr. a-, without, dia, separating.
adnate attached, adherent Adhering; attached to the stipe throughout its width, esp. of lamellae or tubes. Compare with free.
aero-aquatic fungi Aquatic fungi that grow in water, but spread their spores via air.
aethalium pl. aethalia The relatively large fruiting body of many slime molds (Myxomycetes). From Gr. aíthalos, soot.
agaric
A member of the order Agaricales; a mushroom or toadstool. Contains many iconic and highly studied fungi. Agarics have a macroscopic (human-visible) fleshy basidioma with a clearly differentiated stipe (stalk), pileus (cap), and lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus.
algicolous Living on algae.
amerospore A single-celled, non-septate cell in mitosporic fungi; compare with dictyospore and phragmospore.
anamorph Imperfect state An asexual state of a fungus, characterized by the presence of conidia and the absence of sexual spores.
anastomosis Fusion between branches of hyphae to make a network.
annellidic
A type of blastic conidiogenesis. The conidiogenous cell (also called an annellide) produces a basipetal sequence of conidia called annelloconidia or annellospores. The distal end is marked by ring-shaped bands called annellations. Examples include many aquatic Hyphomycetes, Venturia inaequalis, and Microascus brevicaulis.
annular 1. Ring-like; an arrangement in the style of a ring. 2. Resembling an annulus.
annulus apical veil A ring-like covering around the stipe after expansion of the pileus.
antheridium pl. antheridia, antherid The male sexual organ (gametangium) of fungi. Produces either antherozoids (flagellate gametes or sperm) or gametic nuclei.
apical acro- At the tip or end (apex).
apiculus A short projection at the end of a spore.
aplanospore A non-motile asexual spore in some Zygomycetes, contained in globose sporangia or cylindrical merosporangia. From Gr. planos, roaming.
apodial apodal, apodous, sessile Having no stem or pedicel, such as a pileus lacking a stipe and directly attached to the substrate. Found in sporangia of Perichanea for example. From Gr. podos, foot.
apothecium pl. apothecia, discocarp A type of fruiting body that, at maturity, opens to expose the hymenium of asci; commonly assumes shape of a cup or saucer. The stipe is sometimes lichenized. From Gr. apotheke, storehouse.
apophysis A swelling or a swollen filament. Associated with the swollen end of a sporangiophore in Mucorales or the protuberance found beneath the sporocarp of some fungi, especially Protosteliales.
appressed applanate Flattened, or closely applied; e.g. of scales or fibers.
appressorium pl. appresoria A swelling at the end of a germ tube or other hypha that adheres to the surface of its host and penetrates it with infection hyphae. Characteristic of plant pathogenic fungi such as Phytophthora and Colletotrichum, as well as parasites of animals such as Entomophthora.
aquatic fungi hydrofungi Fungi that live in water. Sometimes subdivided into freshwater-living fungi and marine fungi for saltwater-living fungi. Freshwater fungi include: Many zoosporic fungi of Chytridiomycota, Chytridiales, and Saprolegniales; some saxicolous lichens of Lichinaceae that live on submerged rocks; aquatic hyphomycetes or Ingoldian fungi, a group of mitosporic fungi that live in freshwater with branched or sigmoidial spores, often growing on dead leaves in streams; smuts of aquatic plants; and certain yeasts.
archicarp The cell, hypha, or coil of Ascomycetes that later becomes the ascoma, or part of it.
ardella A small spot-like apothecium, as in the lichen Arthonia. From Latin ardere, to sprinkle.
areola aerole A delimited space on a surface, separated from others by fissures or cracks.
arthric thallic-arthric A method of thallic conidiogenesis that converts a hyphal element into a conindium (also called an arthrospore), fragmenting the hypha. Common in many basidiomycetes. Compare with holothallic. From Gr. arthron, joint.
asc- asco-, ascidi- A prefix meaning sac, bladder, or ascus. From Gr. askós, vessel, bag, or wineskin.
ascoma ascocarp; pl. ascomata The asci-bearing fruiting body of Ascomycetes.
Ascomycota
Ascomycetes, sac fungi A phylum of fungi characterized by the presence of an ascus, a sac-like structure where ascospores are produced. The largest group of fungi. Includes cup fungi or Discomycetes; most dermatophytes; the mycobiont part of most lichens; powdery mildews; and fungi that produce truffles.
ascospore Spores formed in the developing ascus, generally as a result of karyogamy (nuclear fusion) followed by meiosis. Commonly, four haploid daughter nuclei divide to make eight haploid nuclei, around which eight ascospores are created by depositing wall material around them, a process sometimes called free cell formation.
ascus pl. asci The reproductive cell of ascomycetes; where ascospores form and are contained. While sometimes traditionally restricted to only sexual reproduction, purely asexual mitosporic fungi have since been classified as having asci as well (List of mitosporic Ascomycota).
assimilative vegetative, somatic Hyphae related to growth, nutrition, and asexual reproduction as opposed to sexual reproduction; the soma.
autochthonous 1. Indigenous, especially to a type of soil or earth. 2. Continuously active, as opposed to organisms that only become active when a suitable substrate becomes available such as yeasts (zymogenous).
azygospore A spore close in form to a zygospore, but developed asexually (parthogenesis). Found in many species of Mucorales and some species of Entomophthorales, such as Entomophthora muscae. The structure that contains it is called an azygosporangium.
B
ballistospore A forcibly discharged basidiospore; the most typical kind. Compare with statismospore. From Latin ballista.
basidioma
basidiocarp, pl. basidiomata A basidium-producing organ; the fruiting body of Basidiomycota.
Basidiomycota
Basidiomycetes A phylum of fungi. Generally defined by sexual reproduction via basidiospores formed from a basidium, although a few purely anamorphic basidiomycetes exist. Typically mycelial, although some are yeasts and some are dimorphic. Basidiomycetes include earth balls; earthstars; false truffles; jelly fungi; many mushrooms; polypores; puffballs; most rusts; most smuts; and stinkhorns.
basidiospore A propagative sexual spore produced on a basidium, typically following karyogamy and meiosis, typically containing one or two haploid nuclei.
basidium pl. basidia A cell or organ where basidiospores are produced, generally four. Basidia are characteristic of basidiomycetes. From Greek basis, base.
basipetal A chain of conidia in which new spores are formed at the base and the oldest are at the apex. Compare with acropetal.
blastic One of the two basic forms of conidiogenesis, with thallic conidiogenesis. Characterized by the enlargement of the conidia initial before it is delimited by a septum. In holoblastic, both inner and outer walls of the blastic conidiogenous cell contribute to the formation of the conidium; in enteroblastic, only the inner walls enlarge and contribute. Monoblastic is from a single conidiogenous locus; polyblastic is when a conindiogenous cell has multiple conidiogenous loci.
blastospore An asexual spore that forms by budding. One of the conidia types that can be produced in blastic conidiogenesis. Examples include yeasts such as Candida glabrata and Kloeckera, and the plant pathogenic Monilinia and Cladosporium mold.
bolete An iconic variety of mushroom characterized by fleshy fruit bodies and a poroid hymenophore (marked by pores rather than the gill-marked cap of agarics). They are often edible. Boletes are members of the order Boletales.
budding gemmation A type of asexual cellular multiplication. A small outgrowth or bud from a parent cell enlarges and eventually separates from the parent cell. Typical in yeasts and many molds. Sometimes divided by how many buds are made, with monopolar, bipolar, and multipolar budding for one/two/many respectively.
bulbil A compact multicellular propagule, with its thin-walled, undifferentiated cells produced in acropetal succession from the hyphae. Superficially resembles plant tissue at maturity (pseudoparenchymatous) such as raspberries, hence the resemblance to bulbils in botany. Found in certain basidiomycetes; characteristic of aero-aquatic fungi such as Bulbillomyces farinosus, where they grow on leaves or tree branches previously submerged in water.
C
capitulum sphaeridium The stalked, globose, apical apothecium of lichens of the order Caliciales.
carp- carpo-, -carp Combining forms meaning "fruit". From Gr. karpós, fruit.
capsule
A clear, gelatinous covering or sheath around the cell wall of certain yeasts, e.g. Cryptococcus, and some ascospores such as those of Sordaria fimicola.
catenate Catenulate Arranged in chains or end-to-end series. Catenulate is the diminutive form for small chains. From Latin catena, a chain.
chitin A nitrogen-containing polysaccharide found in many fungal cell walls, generally as part of a chitin-glucan complex. From Gr. chiton, tunic.
Chitomycetes An obsolete division of fungi, meaning possessing mycelium; subsumed by Eumycota in later literature.
chitosome A small spheroidal organelle in many fungi that synthesizes chitin using chitin synthase zymogen, to use for cell wall synthesis.
chlamydospore
An asexual thick-walled spore developed from hyphae, generally for perennation rather than dissemination. From Gr. chlamys, cloak, -ydos, spore.
Chytridiomycota Chytridomycetes A phylum of fungi. Informally known as chytrids. Characterized by chitinous cell walls and reproduction via zoospores, which are usually uniflagellate in the posterior although rarely polyflagellate. Many are saprobes that live in freshwater (see aquatic fungi) or the soil.
cirrus cirrhus; spore horn A curl-like tuft; usually refers to a tendril-like mass of forced-out spores.
clamp connection
clamp, fibula A hyphal outgrowth that makes a connection during cell division between the resulting two cells by fusion. Generally associated with mycelium of Basidiomycetes.
clavate Narrowing at the base and then thickening; club-shaped.
cleistothecium pl. cleistothecia A closed fruit body that has no pre-defined opening; opens by rupture. Seen, e.g., in ascoma of Thielavia or in Erysiphales.
Coelomycetes An artificial taxon for mitosporic fungi with pycnidial and acervular states, i.e. they form their spores in an internal cavity. From Gtk. koilos, hollow.
coeno- Prefix meaning "multinucleate". From Gr. koinós, shared or in common.
coenocytic Hyphae that lack septa and are multi-nucleate; seen in Zygomycota and Oomycota. From Gr. kytos, cell. Distinct from a synctium, a multinucleate structure resulting from fusion of protoplasts.
colony A massed group of hyphae and spores of a single species, especially if all are grown from a single spore (e.g. in a lab).
columella pl. columellae A sterile central axis within a fruiting body (sporocarp) or sporangium.
complicate Bent or folded on itself. From Latin plicare, to fold.
conidiogenesis The process of producing conidia. Subdivided into blastic and thallic conidiogenesis.
conidiogenous Producing conidia. Generally used as "conidiogenous cell", fertile cells that produce conidia; or "conidiogenous locus", for the particular point on a hypha or a cell where conidia are generated.
conidioma pl. conidiomata Any multi-hyphal, conidia-bearing structure. An umbrella term that includes various traditional conidia-bearing structures such as a synnema, a sporodochium, an acervulus, or a pycnidium.
conidiophore fertile hypha A specialized hypha bearing or consisting of conidiogenous cells upon which conidia develop.
conidium pl. conidia A thin-walled, asexual spore borne on specialized hypha known as conidiophores. From Gr. konidion, diminutive of konis (dust).
coprophilous Growing or living on animal dung.
cortex rind A thick outer-covering or rind, generally of a fruiting body. From Latin cortice, bark.
corticolous Living on tree bark.
cortina
Of agarics, the remnants of the partial veil, frequently web-like, that covers mature gills. Thin and evanescent; eventually breaks up and disappears.
crozier ascus crook The hook of an ascogenous hypha before development of the ascus.
cruciate In the form of a cross.
crustose crustaceous Crust-like or having a hard surface layer, e.g. in a sporocarp; in lichens, a thallus firmly fixed to the substratum by the whole of their lower surface, generally lacking a distinct lower cortex.
cyphella pl. cyphellae A break in the lower cortex of a lichen thallus which appears as a cup-like structure or marking. Characteristic of Sticta. From Gr. kyphella, the hollow of an ear.
cyst 1. A sac or cavity. 2. A zoospore protected by a resistant cell wall; seen in "lower fungi" such as aquatic chytrids and Amoebidiales.
cystidium Cystidia A large, sterile cell on the surface of a basidioma, particularly the hymenium from which it frequently projects.
D
dentate Toothed, e.g. of gills.
denticle A small, tooth-like projection, especially one on which spores are borne.
dermatophyte A parasitic fungus that focuses on tissue with keratin (skin, hair, nails) of humans and animals. Associated with the genera Epidermophyton, Microsporum, and Trichophyton.
dermatophytosis
ringworm, tinea The skin condition caused by a dermatophyte infection.
dichotomous Forking into roughly equal pairs, often repeatedly, e.g. in hyphal branching. Compare with monopodial.
dictyospore Divided by intersecting septa in more than one plane, both transverse and longitudinal; a muriform spore. Found in Alternaria alternata as an example.
didymospore A two-celled spore divided by a single septum. Usually applied to mitosporic fungi. Compare with amerospore and phragmospore.
Dikarya A subkingdom of Fungi that includes Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, or "higher fungi."
dikaryotic dicaryotic, secondary mycelium A single cell (dikaryon) having two genetically distinct haploid nuclei.
dimorphic dimorphism Having two forms, e.g. both yeast and mycelial forms. Examples include Histoplasma and Sporothrix.
diplanetism A life cycle with two types of zoospores (dimorphic), primary and secondary.
Discomycetes cup fungi A class of saucer-shaped and cup-shaped Ascomycetes in which the hymenium is exposed at maturity; one in which the fruit body is an apothecium (discocarp). Prominent members include Pezizales, Helotiales, Ostropales, and Lecanorales.
disjunctor An evanescent connective, consisting of either a cell or cell wall material. It develops through the pores of septal lamellae of adjoining conidia in a chain, before later fragmenting and releasing the conidia.
dolipore septum
A septum found in Basidiomycetes that flares out in the middle to form a channel.
E
echinate Having sharply pointed spines, e.g. of spores. Its diminutive is echinulate, for delicate spines. Sometimes synonymous with spinose. From Gr. echinos, hedgehog.
effete Past the bearing period; overmature, e.g. a fruiting body that has emptied its spores.
effuse Expanded; stretched out flat, e.g. a film-like growth. From Latin fundere, to pour.
elf cups 1. Ascomata of Pezizales. 2. Scarlet elf cup: An ascoma of Sarcoscypha coccinea. 3. Green elf cup: Ascomata of Helotiales, such as Chlorociboria.
endo- Prefix meaning "inner" or "inside", from Gr. éndon.
endobiotic Growing within anther living organism.
endophyte An organism that lives within a plant; in mycology, specifically fungi that live within plants but do not show external signs or damage to the plants. This is usually endomycorrhizial fungi in root systems and asymptomatic fungi in aerial plant parts
endospore 1. An endogenous spore, e.g. a sporgangiospore, often resembling an ascospore. 2. The innermost wall of a spore wall (endosporium).
endothrix Living within hair. Generally associated with parasitic dermatophyte infections.
epibiotic Growing on the outer surface of another organism.
epicortex A thin layer on top of the cortex; e.g. a sugar-like layer over some Parmeliaceae lichens or a layer on the apothecium of some Pezizales
erect Upright; not curved.
ergot 1. A disease of cereals and grasses caused by the fungus Claviceps. 2. The ergot fungus itself, or its sclerotia.
erumpent Breaking through the surface of the substratum.
ethnomycology The study of the use of fungi by human cultures.
evanescent Having a short existence; soon disappearing, e.g. of a veil, an annulus, etc. From Latin evanscere, to disappear.
eucarpic eucarpous Thalli where reproductive structures only develop on limited portions during fructication. The rest of the thallus remains in its original assimilative function. Compare holocarpic. If they have one sporangium, they are monocentric; if they have several sporgangia, they are polycentric. The vast majority of fungi are eucarpic.
Eumycota Fungi. From Greek for "true fungi". Generally used to distinguish fungi from related Pseudofungi traditionally also studied in mycology, as well as recently separated sister organisms such as Rozellida. The four traditional phyla of (true) fungi are Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Zygomycota; Glomeromycota and Microsporidia have split off more recently.
exobasidial 1. With exposed basidia. 2. Separated by a wall from the basidium.
exochthonus allochthonous Invasive, not indigenous; especially for organisms not adapted to a particular soil.
F
fairy ring
Mushrooms or puffballs forming in a circle, started from a central mycelium in the soil. Fairy rings expand with time if undisturbed, and are generally associated with basidiomycetes.
falcate Falciform Curved, like a sickle or scythe. From Latin falx and falcis, sickle.
fermentation
zymosis A chemical change caused by enzymes of living organisms. In mycology, typically yeasts and molds performing anaerobic breakdowns such as changing carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and alcohol. Part of the creation of fermented foods and fermented drinks (most notably alcoholic beverages).
filament A fine thread. Commonly used for hyphal threads or other simple thread-like fungal structures. From Latin filum, thread.
filamentous filamentose 1. Thread-like, or composed of filaments. 2. In lichens, when the photobiont forms in threads surrounded by hyphae of the mycobiont; the fungi forms the outer structure. (e.g. Coenogonium, Cystocoleous, Racodium)
filiform In the shape of a thread; thin.
fleshy Soft, not cartilaginous or wood-like. Associated with agarics and boletes.
flexuous flexuose Wavy. From Latin flexus, bend.
flocci Cotton-like groups or tufts.
floccose Fluffy or cottony; byssoid. Common among many colonies of fungi. Its diminutive form is flocculose, for a small and delicate floccose element. From Latin floccus, a tuft of wool.
flowers of tan The aethalium of Fuligo septica. Commonly found in tannin-containing tubs drying hides into leather.
flush The rapidly growing stage of a mycelium, especially in mushrooms.
foliicolous Living on leaves, e.g. foliicolous lichen.
foliose 1. Leaf-like in form. 2. Of lichens, foliose lichens, characterised by flattened leaf-like thalli.
foot cell basal cell 1. A hyphal cell that supports a sporogenous cell or thallus, specifically the support of the conidiophore in Aspergillus and the macroconidium of Fusarium. 2. The thallus in the aquatic fungi of Blastocladiales.
foxfire
A phosphorescent light emitted by moist, decaying wood; one of the most famous forms of fungal bioluminescence.
free Not adhering; not attached to the stipe, esp. of lamellae or tubes. Compare with adnate.
frog cheese A young puffball.
fructicolous fructicole Living on fruit. From Latin fructus, fruit.
fruticolous fruticole Living on shrubs. From Latin frutex, shrubs.
fungicide A substance able to kill fungi, especially at low concentration. From Latin caedere, to kill. Generally used for chemical substances rather than heat, light, radiation, etc. which are called sterilization instead.
fungicolous Living on other fungi.
fungiform Mushroom-shaped.
fungivorous
mycetophagous Fungus-eating.
fungoid fungous Similar to a fungus in texture or morphology.
fungus pl. fungi A kingdom of organisms in Eukaryota. Fungi are distinguished based on their morphology, nutritional modes, and ecology. Typical traits are that they lack plastids, are osmotrophic (absorb nutrients from their environment), are never phagotrophic, lack an ameboid pseudopodal phase, cell walls are composed of a chitin-glucan complex, mitochondria have flattened cristae and perioxomes are nearly always present, and are mostly non-flagellate; flagella when present lack mastigonemes. From Gr. sphongos, σπόγγος, sponge.
funicular Cord-like. From Latin funis, rope.
funiculose (Of hyphae) Aggregated into cord-like strands.
furfuraceous Covered with bran-like particles; scurfy.
fusiform Spindle-shaped; narrowing toward the ends. Of spores, stipe, cystidia, etc. From Latin fusus, spindle.
fusoid Somewhat fusiform.
G
galeate Hooded; hat-shaped. From Latin galea, helmet.
gamete A sexual cell; a uninucleate haploid reproductive cell capable of fusing with another. From Gr. gámos, marriage, union.
gemma pl. gemmae 1. Another term for chlamydospores, sometimes restricted to specifically spores that broke free from the mycelium to be dispersed, often via water. From Latin gemma, "jewel" 2. A bud or propagule produced by gemmation, as in yeasts.
geniculate Bent like a knee.
geophilous Preferring an environment in soil, as in Microsporum cookei or fungi that produce truffles.
germ pore A hole in a spore wall, frequently apical, through which it germinates. Germ tubes emerge through it. Associated with rusts.
germ sporangium A sporangium at the end of a germ tube. Originates by germination of an oospore or of a zygosporangium.
germ tube
A short hypha that sprouts from the germ pore during germination. If conditions are favorable, will form a full mycelium. In plant pathogenic fungi, forms an appressorium, from which the infective hypha spread and penetrate the tissues of the host.
glabrous Smooth, not hairy; e.g. of the surface of a pileus or stipe.
gleba pl. glebae The central, internal portion of the fruiting body of Gasteromycetes and underground Pezizales.
globose Spherical in shape.
guttate 1. Having tear-like drops. From Latin gutta, drop. 2. Spotted as if stained by drops of liquid, e.g. of a pileus.
guttulate guttiferous Spores bearing one or more guttules (oil-like drops) inside, e.g. the ascospores of Podospora comata.
guttule guttula A small drop or drop-like particle, especially oil-like globules in a spore resembling a nucleus.
Gymnomycota Gymnomycetes An obsolete division of fungi, characterized as having a plasmodium. Subsumed by Myxomycota (true slime molds) in later literature.
gymnothecium pl. gymnothecia An ascoma in which the perithecium is in a loose hyphal network.
gyrate gyrose Curved; folded and wavy, like a brain.
H
hamate Hooked.
hamathecium Collective term for hyphae and tissues between asci; interascal tissue.
haustorium pl. haustoria A hyphal branch for absorption of food. It penetrates the wall of the living host cell. Found in certain parasitic fungal plant pathogens, such as Phytophthora.
heterokaryotic heterocaryotic Having two or more genetically distinct nuclei in a common cytoplasm, making a combined cell.
heterokont heterocont, Straminipila 1. A grouping of organisms within Chromista that includes Pseudofungi. 2. Having cilia or flagella of unequal length. 3. A condition where a flagellum possess two rows of tripartite tubular hairs.
heteromerous In lichens, when the thallus is stratified. The photobiont is distributed in a compact layer, and the hyphal tissue of the fungi are separated into an outer rind and an inner stratum. From Gr. hetero, different, and meros, part.
heterothallism Fungi that require the interaction of two different thalli for sexual conjugation to occur.
hilum pl. hila A scar after a spore is discharged; was previously the point of attachment of a basidiospore to the sterigma. From Latin hilum, mask.
hoary Covered thickly with silk-like hairs, especially of a pileus or stipe, often grayish or white.
holocarpic Having all of the thallus converted into the fruiting body at the end of maturation; compare eucarpic. The somatic and reproductive phases do not coexist as a result. Examples include Olpidiaceae and Synchytriaceae.
holomorph Term describing the whole fungus throughout all its morphs (states, phases). Generally includes a single teleomorph phase and one or more anamorph phases.
holothallic A method of thallic conidiogenous in which a hyphal element is converted as a whole into a single conidium. All the cell wall layers are involved. Compare with arthric. From Gr. holos, whole.
homoiomerous In lichens, when the photobiont is are distributed uniformly or at random throughout the thallus. From Gr. homoios, similar.
homokaryotic homocaryotic Having genetically identical (or near-identical) nuclei, e.g. in a mycelium.
homothallism The condition where sexual reproduction can occur in a single thallus, without the interaction of two separate thalli.
hydrophilous Preferring an aquatic habitat. Common among zygomycetes, as zoospores rely on water to move.
hygrophilous Preferring a moist habitat. Common among fungi.
hygroscopic 1. Becoming soft in wet air, hard in dry; readily absorbing moisture from the atmosphere. 2. (of a sporocarp) Opening and discharging spores in dry air.
hymenium The spore-bearing fruiting surface of Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes. An aggregation of asci or basidia in a layer (palisade) mixed with other sterile cells.
hymenophore The portion of a basidioma or ascoma bearing the hymenium.
hypha
pl. hyphae A single filament of a mycelium. From Gr. hyphe, weaving.
hyphal Of, or pertaining to, a hypha.
Hyphomycetes Hyphales An artificial class of mitosporic fungi that reproduces asexually. Traditionally subdivided into Agonomycetales, Hyphomycetales, Stilbellales, and Tuberculariales.
hypnospore resting spore A thick-walled resting spore; germinates only after a lapse of weeks or months. From Gr. hypnos, sleep.
hypo- Prefix meaning "under" or "lower". From Gr. hypo.
hypothallus protothallus 1. (Of lichens) The first growth of the hyphae, before differentiation has taken place. Usually of a crustaceous lichen's earliest stage, lacking a cortex and photobiont. Often persists as a colored layer on the bottom of the later stages of maturation. 2. (of slime molds) a thin layer on the surface not used up in sporangial development.
I
inoperculate Not operculate; lacking an operculum. Generally refers to asci or sporangia that discharge spores by an irregular apical opening or pore instead. Found in various Discomycetes and most other ascomycetes.
intercalary 1. (of growth) Between the apex and the base; not apical. From Latin intercalare, to insert. 2. (of cells) Between two cells.
isidium pl. isidia A propagule for lichen growth; can both increase the surface area of a lichen and become detached from the thallus to disperse the lichen. Isidia are structures larger than soredia, and contain both the mycobiont and the photobiont. They are usually cylindrical, but can also be verrucose, clavate, and other shapes.
isokont isocont Zoospores with flagella of roughly equal length. Seen in Ectrogella bacillariacearum and other aquatic zoosporic fungi. From Gr. kontos, a pole.
J
jelly fungus
Fungi of the Tremellales or trembling fungi. Known for having a soft, elastic consistency, similar to gelatin or jelly.
K
kary- karya-, karyo-, cary-, carya-, caryo- A prefix meaning "nucleus." From Gr. karyon.
karyogamy caryogamy, nuclear fusion The final stage in the fusion of two sexual nuclei, after plasmogamy, that forms the zygote nucleus, but before meiosis.
kinetosome basal body An organelle that is the base of a zoospore flagellum. Connected to the nuclear membrane by means of a rhizoplast. Found in Blastocladia and Rhizophydiales, for example.
L
lageniform Flask-shaped; swollen at base, narrowed at top.
lamella pl. lamellae A gill; a hymenium-covered vertical plate, generally of an agaric. Attaches to the stipe in a variety of ways, including: free, unattached; adnate, attached; adnexed, a partial attachment; sinuate, similar to adnate but with an S-shaped curve; decurrent, attached and also running further down the surface of the stipe. From Latin lamina, a thin plate.
lamellate 1. Having lamellae (gills). 2. Made up of thin plates.
lanate lanose Like wool; covered with short-hair-like elements.
lateral At the side, e.g. of a stipe.
latex
A milk-like juice that flows from some fungi when cut or damaged, as in Lactarius.
latticed Cross-barred. (See also Clathrus, lattice-work fungus, especially Clathrus ruber.)
lenticular lentiform Shaped like a double convex lens.
lepidote Covered in small scales; for example, the pileus of Lepiota.
lichen
A dual organism that arises from an association of fungi (mycobiont) and algae or cyanobacteria (photobiont). The two coexist in a mutualistic relationship as partners; the resulting lifeform differs markedly from its isolated components.
lichenicolous Growing on or in lichens. Can apply to both lichenicolous fungus and other lichens.
lichenin lichenen, moss starch A polycarbohydrate found in wall of the hyphae of many lichen-forming fungi, most characteristically Iceland moss.
lichenoid Resembling a lichen.
lichenology The scientific study of lichens.
lichenometry
A technique for studying the exposure age of rock surfaces based on the size and diameter of lichen thalli. Used extensively in glaciology. Most frequently uses map lichen for dating. Lichenometry has been used to date Easter Island moai among other elements.
ligneous
Wood-like; having the consistency of wood, such as the fruiting body in Fomes, Ganoderma, or other Aphyllophorales.
lignicolous xylogenous Living in or on wood, although not necessarily deriving nourishment from it, as do wood-decay fungi.
limoniform Lemon-shaped.
lunate luniform Crescent-shaped, like a crescent moon. Sometimes synonymous with falcate. From Latin luna, moon.
lumen The central cavity of a structure, usually referring to a cell bounded by tissue or cell walls.
luminescent fungi
bioluminescent fungi Fungi that exhibit bioluminescence, emitting light in certain conditions.
M
macroconidium In fungi with multiple types of conidia, the larger; compare microconidia, mesoconidia.
Macromycetes Large fungi with visible sporocarps, such as mushrooms.
macronematous Having a morphologically different conidiophore from the vegetative hyphae; a specialized conidiophore.
maculate macular, maculose Spotted; blotched.
mantle
A layer of hyphae covering the roots of ectomycorrhizal plants, generally trees. Connected to a Hartig net on the inside, and extramatrical hyphae on the outside.
matrix 1. The substance in or on which a fungus grows. 2. The mucilaginous material in which conidia and some ascospores are produced.
marginal veil In agarics and boletes, a proliferation of hyphae on the edge of the pileus that protects the developing hymenium.
medicinal fungi
The use of fungi such as yeast in medicines.
meiosis A series of two successive nuclear divisions that reduces the number of chromosomes by one-half, going from a diploid state to a haploid one. The last part of the sexual phase in many fungi, following plasmogamy and karyogamy. Contrast with mitosis.
merosporangium pl. merosporangia A sporangium that is a cylindrical outgrowth from the swollen tip of a sporangiophore. A chain-like row of sporangiospores are produced there. Characteristic of Mucorales; also found in some other zygomycetes.
microbiota All of the microorganisms present in an area, including algae, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. Compare mycobiota.
microconidium In fungi with multiple types of conidia, the smaller; compare macroconidia, mesoconidia.
micronematous micronemous 1. Having hyphae of small diameter. 2. Having conidiophores similar morphologically to vegetative hyphae.
mildew 1. Fungi that grow on host plants. Subdivided into powdery mildew ("true"), downy mildew ("false"), and dark mildew. 2. The plant disease caused by such fungi.
mitosis The normal division of a nucleus. Results in two child nuclei with the same number of chromosomes as the parent.
mitosporangium A thin-walled sporangium of certain Blastocladiales producing uninucleate diploid zoospores (mitospores) by mitosis.
mitospore A zoospore from a mitosporangium. From Gr. mitos, thread.
mitosporic fungi Fungi imperfecti; Deuteromycetes; ana-holomorph; conidial fungi; asexual fungi Purely asexual fungi that reproduce by mitosis.
mold mould, Micromycetes, microfungi A fungus of very small size, usually with microscopic sporocarps.
monokaryotic monocaryotic Cells having a single nucleus each; having genetically identical haploid nuclei (monokaryon or haplont). Found, for example, in the mycelium of Agaricales.
monopodial A type of branching where there is a persistent main axis from which branches split from, one at a time, often in alternate or spiral series. Often uses acropetal succession. Compare with dichotomous.
morph Form. From Gr. μορφή, morphḗ, form.
moss
Flowerless plants; not fungi. However, some lichens were given misnomers in the past that misidentified them as mosses, including oakmoss, Swedish moss, dyer's moss, Iceland moss, beard moss, and reindeer moss.
motile Independently mobile.
mucilaginous Sticky or viscous when wet; slimy. Present in many fungi and especially slime molds.
mucoid mucose, mucous Like mucus, having the consistency of mucilage; slimy.
Mucoromycota A division of fungi broken off from Zygomycota in the 2010s that includes many of the molds, microscopic fungi. Includes Mucorales, the largest and most closely studied order of zygomycetes.
multiseptate Having more than one septum.
muriform Spores arranged like bricks in a wall; having both longitudinal and transverse septa. From Latin murus, wall.
mushroom
Large agarics, or other fleshy fungi such as boletes. Commonly divided into mushrooms (human-edible) and toadstools (inedible).
myc- mycet-, myceto-, myco- Combining prefixes that mean "fungus". From Gr. mykēs and mykētos (μύκης), fungus.
mycelial cord A discrete aggregation of hyphae. Compared to a rhizomorph, it is undifferentiated from other hyphae and has no apical meristem.
mycelium pl. mycelia A mass of hyphae or fungal filaments; the thallus.
Mycetes Fungi. As a suffix (-mycetes), the recommended ending for the names of fungal classes.
mycetism mycetismus, mushroom poisoning Poisoning by larger fungi, usually mushrooms.
mycetoma madura foot, maduramycosis A fungal disease of the skin, usually of the foot.
mycobiont The fungal part of a lichen.
mycobiota funga Aggregate fungal life in the area under consideration; equivalent of the term flora in plants or fauna in animals.
mycogenous Coming from fungi; growing on fungi.
mycoid Fungus-like.
mycology The scientific study of fungi. From Gr. lógos, discourse.
mycorrhiza
A symbiotic association between a fungus and the root system of a plant, usually trees. Traditionally subdivided into ectotrophic, where the fungus forms a sheaf on the surface of the root to create a 'Hartig net', and endotropic, where fungal hyphae directly enter the cortical cells of the root. Later, more precise divisions included ectomycorrhiza, arbuscular mycorrhiza, ericoid mycorrhiza, orchid mycorrhiza, arbutoid mycorrhiza, and monotropoid mycorrhiza.
mycosis pl. mycoses Fungal diseases of humans and animals (rarely, plants as well).
-mycota The recommended ending of the name of fungal phyla.
mycotoxin Toxins (the product of one organism injurious to another) produced by fungi. Studied by mycotoxicology. Poisonings are called mycotoxicoses.
Myxomycota
Myxomycetes True slime molds. No longer categorized as fungi, but were formerly categorized as such in older literature, and still studied in mycology; now considered part of Amorphea. Since reclassified as Myxogastria. From Gr. myxa, slime.
N
nematophagous vermivorous Predatory fungi that trap, devour, and digest nematodes in the soil.
noble rot
A condition from the mold Botrytis growing on overripe grapes. Used in the production of certain sweet wines.
O
obclavate (of spores, stipe, cystidia, etc.) The reverse of clavate; widest at the base.
obpyriform The reverse of pear-shaped or pyriform.
obovoid The reverse of egg-shaped or ovoid; the narrower end is on bottom.
oogonium pl. oogonia The female sexual organ of Oomycetes, which at maturity contains one or more oospores. From Gr. gonos, progeny.
Oomycota
Peronosporomycetes Water molds. Traditionally considered fungi, but now classed as closer to algae. Part of the Chromista kingdom. Contain cellulose in their cell walls rather than chitin, and coenocytic hypae rather than septate hyphae.
oosphere Female gamete of oomycetes; "egg" of the oogonium.
oospore
The resting spore formed as a result of fertilization of the oosphere. Has a thick, resistant wall. Subdivided into centric, subcentric, subeccentric, and eccentric oospores by its structure.
orchil archil, orcein A reddish-purple dye traditionally extracted from lichen.
operculum pl. opercula A lid or cover. Usually refers to the lid-like apex of a sporangium or ascus found in some