Glossary of mycology

Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning.

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.

cyphellaeCystidiaringworm, tineadicaryotic, secondary myceliumdimorphismcup fungieucarpousallochthonousFalciformzymosisfilamentoseflexuosebasal cellfructicolefruticolemycetophagousfungouspl.

isidiaisocontkarya-, karyo-, cary-, carya-, caryo-caryogamy, nuclear fusionbasal bodypl.

lamellaelanoselentiformlichenen, moss starchxylogenousluniformbioluminescent fungimacular, maculosepl.

merosporangiamicronemousFungi imperfecti; Deuteromycetes; ana-holomorph; conidial fungi; asexual fungimould, Micromycetes, microfungimonocaryoticmucose, mucousmycet-, myceto-, myco-pl.

myceliamycetismus, mushroom poisoningmadura foot, maduramycosisfungapl.

peritheciarace, strain, biotypemushroom cappolymorphicpotato late blight, potato murrainpropagulumPseudomycetespl.

thallitorulous, torose, moniliformmycose, mushroom sugartuberculetuberculatexylophagous fungusswarm spore, zoösporeZygomyceteszymurgy

Line drawing of Trichothecium roseum conidiophore
The acropleurogenous Trichothecium roseum , with conidia on sides and at apex
An agaric, with gills on the underside of the pileus
Magnified view of Scopulariopsis brevicaulis , its annellides, and the ring-shaped annellations emanating from them
A truffle from a Rhizopogon , one of the ascomycetes
A typical basidioma, showing fruiting body, hymenium , and basidia
A Lactarius indigo , a milk-cap mushroom and basidiomycete
Magnification of the yeast Cryptococcus neoformans ; the capsules are the circular outer borders of the yeast cells.
A 200x magnification of Candida albicans , including a chlamydospore
Clamp connection formation between two nuclei (one in green, the other orange)
A cobweb-like cortina of Cortinarius claricolor
A cow's head afflicted by dermatophytosis
(1) An amerospore with no intersecting septa; (2) a didyomospore with a single intersecting septa; (3) two sample phragmospore patterns with multiple septa subdividing the spore; (4) a dictyospore with a brick wall-like muriform pattern of intersecting septa
In hyphae of basidiomycete fungi, parenthesomes (1) "cap" a dolipore septum; (2) the cell wall; (3) swells around the septal pore to form a barrel-shaped ring. Perforations in the parenthesome allow cytoplasm to flow between (4) and (5).
Elf cups of Helvella leucomelaena
Ergot -infested rye of the fungus Claviceps purpurea
A fairy ring
Pinot Noir grapes being fermented by yeasts in winemaking
Panelluses stipticus , an example of luminiscient fungi (long exposure photograph)
A banana slug feeding on Amanita . Many animals are opportunistic fungivores and eat fungi if available, but only a few near-exclusively target them.
Germ tubes forming in Candida albicans , at 600x magnification
Downy mildew infiltrating cells of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana , at 400x magnification. The stained dark blue spheres are the haustoria .
A 160x magnification of Rhizoctonia solani hyphae
A jelly fungus , Tremella mesenterica
Lactarius quietus exuding cream-colored latex from gills upon being cut
Crustose lichens can grow on surfaces hostile to most other lifeforms, such as concrete walls and bare boulders.
Rhizocarpon geographicum ( map lichen ) in Switzerland
Woody, ligneous growths of Fomes fasciatus on a tree
Panellus stipticus displaying bioluminescence
An illustration of ectomycorrhiza
Tablets of cough suppressant made from Cetraria islandica (Iceland moss)
Uncinula necator , a powdery mildew that grows on grapes
Reindeer moss or caribou moss, which is truly a lichen
Amanita muscaria (fly agaric), an iconic mushroom
Leccinum aurantiacum , a bolete that has a mycorrhizal relationship with a host tree
Hemitrichia serpula , commonly called pretzel slime, a true slime mold
Riesling grapes afflicted by Botrytis cinerea (gray rot), causing a color change
Albugo candida (white rust), a water mold, on a mayflower
400x magnification showing oospores of Hyaloperonospora parasitica , a downy mildew
A sample agaric-type basidioma in (A) the early development stage, and (B) after the body is fully expanded. (1) is the universal veil , the outer layer protecting the developing basidioma; (2) is the partial veil , which covers the gills; (3) are cap scales , remnants of the universal veil; (4) is the volva , another remnant of the universal veil, but at the base of the basidioma; (5) is the annulus , a ring-like mark on the stipe that is a remnant of the partial veil, and whose overhanging tissue may become a cortina .
A pileus or mushroom cap
A potato afflicted by the potato late blight
Puffballs of the species Lycoperdon pyriforme
A rust-afflicted leaf by the fungus Endophyllum euphorbiae-sylvaticae
Sclerotinia sclerotiorum sclerotia
Acrasis rosea , a cellular slime mold
Loose smut of barley, caused by Ustilago nuda
Close-up of a stroma of ergot , an ascomycete
A cut Tuber aestivum or summer truffle
The white patches on the caps of these Amanita muscaria mushrooms are cap scales, remnants of the universal veil.
Synchytrium endobioticum on potatoes
Yeast cells under magnification from kombucha , a fermented sweet tea drink
The Zygomycete Endogone pisiformus growing on sphagnum in a wet area