Schematic of a typical basidiocarp, showing fruiting body, hymenium and basidia.

A basidiocarp, basidiome or basidioma (plural: basidiomata), is the sporocarp of a basidiomycete, the multi-cellular structure on which the spore-producing hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the hymenomycetes; rusts and smuts do not produce such structures. As with other sporocarps, epigeous (above-ground) basidiocarps that are visible to the naked eye (especially those with a more or less agaricoid morphology) are commonly referred to as mushrooms, while hypogeous (underground) basidiocarps are usually called false truffles. Image File history File links Basidium_schematic. ... Image File history File links Basidium_schematic. ... Classes Homobasidiomycetes - mushrooms Heterobasidiomycetes - jelly fungi The Subdivision Hymenomycotina (Hymenomycetes) is one of three taxa of the fungal Division Basidiomycota (fungi bearing spores on basidia). ... Basidiocarps of Amanita muscaria. ... Classes Subdivision Teliomycotina    Urediniomycetes Subdivision Ustilaginomycotina    Ustilaginomycetes Subdivision Hymenomycotina    Homobasidiomycetes - mushrooms The Division Basidiomycota is a large taxon within the Kingdom Fungi that includes those species that produce spores in a club_shaped structure called a basidium. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Classes Homobasidiomycetes - mushrooms Heterobasidiomycetes - jelly fungi The Subdivision Hymenomycotina (Hymenomycetes) is one of three taxa of the fungal Division Basidiomycota (fungi bearing spores on basidia). ... Hymenomycete are a type of fungi. ... Urediniomycetes is a diverse class of fungi that includes several important plant pathogens causing forms of fungal rust. ... Ustilaginomycetes is the class of true smut fungi. ... An agaric is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe, with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. ... Basidiocarps (mushrooms) of the fungus Leucocoprinus sp. ...

Structure

All basidiocarps serve as the structure on which the hymenium is produced. Basidia are found on the surface of the hymenium, and the basidia ultimately produce spores. In its simplest form, a basidiocarp consists of an undifferentiated fruiting structure with a hymenium on the surface; such a structure is characteristic of many simple jelly and club fungi. In more complex basidiocarps, there is differentiation into a stipe, a pileus, and/or various types of hymenophores. Basidium is a cell on which the spores of the mushroom are produced. ... Orders Tremellales Auriculariales Dacryomycetales Ceratobasidiales Tulasnellales The Class Heterobasidiomycetes or jelly fungi comprises the five fungal orders: Tremellales, Auriculariales, Dacryomycetales, Ceratobasidiales, and Tulasnellales. ... Diagram of a basidiomycete stipe with a annulus and vulva In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. ... The cap of a fungal fruiting body. ...

Types

Basidiocarps of Amanita muscaria, an agaric. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (3072x2304, 1431 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Amanita muscaria Talk:Amanita muscaria Basidiocarp Sporocarp (fungi) Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the... Binomial name (L.:Fr. ...

Basidiocarps of Ramaria rugosa, a coral fungus]]

Basidiocarps of Craterellus tubaeformis, a cantharelloid fungus. Species Black chanterelle – also called black trumpet, horn of plenty, or trumpet of death – is the common name for the edible mushroom Craterellus cornucopioides. ...

Basidiocarps are classified into various types of growth forms based on the degree of differentiation into a stipe, pileus, and hymenophore, as well as the type of hymenophore, if present.

Growth forms include:

• jelly fungus – fruiting body is an undifferentiated mass of jelly-like tissue.
• club fungus and coral fungus – erect fruiting body without a distinct stipe and pileus, either unbranched (club fungus) or profusely branched (coral fungus).
• polypore – fruiting body is hard, woody, and perennial, and often grows shelf-like on the side of a tree or log. Polypores have a pileus, and usually (but not always) tubes and no stipe.
• cantharelloid fungus – fruiting body with shallow fold-like lamellae running over most of the lower surface of the fruiting body and not much differentiation between the stipe and pileus.
• tooth fungus or "hydnoid fungus" – fruiting body with tooth-like hymenophores.
• gasteromycete or "gastroid fungus" – fruiting body has a ball-like shape and in which the hymenophore has become entirely enclosed on the inside of the fruiting body.
• false truffle – like a gasteromycete, however, but with a hypogeous (underground) fruiting body.
• secotioid fungus – like a gasteromycete, but with stipe. Though to be an evolutionarily intermediate stage between a gasteromycete and an agaric.
• agaric or "agaricoid fungus" – fruiting body with a pileus, lamellae, and (usually) a stipe.
• bolete – fruiting body with a pileus, a stipe, and tubes.

Basic divisions of Agaricomycotina were formerly based entirely upon the growth form of the mushroom. Molecular phylogenetic investigation (as well as supporting evidence from micromorphology and chemotaxonomy) has since demonstrated that similar types of basidiomycete growth form are often examples of convergent evolution and do not always reflect a close relationship between different groups of fungi. For example, agarics have arisen independently in the Agaricales, the Boletales, the Russulales, and other groups, while secotioid fungi and false truffles have arisen independently many times just within the Agaricales. [1] Typical orders Protostelia    Protosteliida Myxogastria    Liceida    Echinosteliida    Trichiida    Stemonitida    Physarida Dictyostelia    Dictyosteliida Slime moulds are peculiar protists that normally take the form of amoebae, but under certain conditions develop fruiting bodies that release spores, superficially similar to the sporangia of fungi. ... Genera Polyporus . ... Tooth fungi are a relatively small group of fungi whose mushroom bears its spores on a hymenium - a layer of mother cells - that grow on the outside of tooth-like spines. ... Basidiocarps of Amanita muscaria. ... Secotioid mushrooms lack the geotropic orientation of the hymenophore, and basidiospores are not actively shot off, thus they are statismospores. ... The agaric Amanita muscaria, late August, Norway Agaric meaning ‘tree-fungus: from Latin agaricum. ... A bolete is a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe, with a spongy surface of pores (rather than gills) on the underside of the pileus. ... Classes Tremellomycetes Dacrymycetes Agaricomycetes To learn more about the subphylum Agaricomycotina, select a higher ranking taxon from the taxobox. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into molecular systematics. ... Chemotaxonomy (from chemistry and taxonomy), also called chemosystematics, is the attempt to classify organisms (originally plants), according to differences in their biochemical makeup. ... In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Families    Boletaceae    Coniophoraceae    Gomphidiaceae    Melanogastraceae    Gomphidiaceae    Gyroporaceae    Paxillaceae    Sclerodermataceae    Strobilomycetaceae Boletes, the best known members of the order Boletales are mushrooms characterized by holding their spores in a spongy mass of vertical tubes (pores) on the underside of the mushroom, instead of on gills (as are found in agarics). ... This article or section should be merged with Agaricales Families Auriscalpiaceae Corticiaceae Hericiaceae Meruliaceae Rusulaceae Stereaceae Russulales is an order of agarics (Basidiomycota, Fungi). ...

See also

• Ascocarp

Diagram of an apothecium showing sterile tissues as well as developing and mature asci. ...

External links

• Evolution & Morphology in the Homobasidiomycetes: The Clade/Morphology Chart by Gary Lincoff & Michael Wood, MykoWeb, November 27, 2005.
• "Mycomorphology Part 1: Why Do Mushrooms Look Like Mushrooms?" by Peter Werner, Mycena News, December 2002. (Archived at MycoWeb)
• "Mycomorphology Part 2: Basidiocarp Keeps its Balance" by Peter Werner, Mycena News, March 2003. (Archived at MycoWeb)