Basidiomycota Ascomycota IDENTIFICATION CHART FOR

IDENTIFICATION CHART FOR IMPORTANT form GROUPS OF MACROFUNGI
Fungi with fruitbodies that can be seen
with the naked eye are called macrofungi. They belong to the fungal groups
(phyla)Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.
Amongst the Ascomycota we find the
discomycetes (i.e. morels, truffles and
cup fungi), the pyrenomycetes and more.
Amongst the Basidiomycota we find the
agarics (gilled fungi), boletes, polypores,
club fungi and more.
The purpose of a fruitbody is to
produce and spread the sexual spores.
Within the Ascomycota these spores are
produced in sacs (asci) while the Basidiomycota produce the spores on structures
called basidia. In many fruitbodies the
asci or basidia are placed in a palisade
structure called a hymenium. In the discomycetes (Ascomycota) the hymenium
will normally be situated at the upper
side of the fruitbody. In the pyrenomycetes (Ascomycota) the asci are found
inside small spherical or oblong fruitbodies called perithecia. Also the small group
of gasteromycetes (Basidiomycota) forms
the spores inside. All remaining Basidiomycota mostly have the hymenium on a
downwards pointing surface (i.e. below a
cap) either on a more or less flat surface,
on gills, spines or in pores.
Start
Basidiomycota
Ascomycota
discomycetes
ae
ell
lam
ls ( ics
r
gil
th aga
wi
d
s
th
sp
dn ines
oid
s
hy
club- and coral
-shaped
upward pointing
club fungi
ral-shaped
club- and co inting
po
d
ar
downw
fungi
hericiaceous
Fruitbody with
smooth or
folded head on
a stem
Fruitbody with
cap and stem
with
vei
cha
nte ns
rell
es
Fruitbody club- to
coral shaped
t
dy fla
tbo d or stly
i
u
Fr ape , mo
h d
ofs reoi ood
o
±h ste n w
o
or
iny
re
pho
eno res
m
y
h
o
in p res
ypo
l
o
p
ore sp
ph
no ed to
e
y,
m n
hy , vei oids spin
i
h
c
t
i
to
oo cort
th te ds
sm
oo pita eoi
m i
r
. s st ste
en b.
m fr ate
y
h
it
ip
st
es
dl
)
wi
w
it
bo h tu
le be
te s
s
el
or
m
Fruitbody cup-,
disk- or topshaped
Spores
exposed on
the outer
surface
an
d
sa
te
ula
erc etes
p
o
c
d, omy
c
ape
-sh e dis
p
u
t
±c cula
er
op
aped,
- to topsh
cup, disk erculate
inop
mycetes
late disco
inopercu
Fruitbody ±clubshaped
eart
hto
ngu
es a
nd o
the
rs
jell
y fu
ngi
Fruitbody
gelatinous,
often on wood
gasteromycetes
frui
tbo
di
gr es be
fals ound low
mature frui
e tr
tbodies rele
uff
asing powde
les
ry spores
puffballs
and earths
tars
s
age
ling mass
ack
a bad smel
in
p
s
re
o
l
y
sp
l
od
s etc
ma
i
stinkhorn
in s uitb
res e a fr fung
o
p
t
s nsid
s
e
i
n
d's
bir
fru
belo itbodie
wg
s
r
truf ound
fles
pyrenomycetes
Spores
formed inside
the fruitbody
itheg (per
oblon shion- or
o
t
l
a
u
ings
pheric
in a c
tiny, s together e the open
e
r
odies
d
fruitb ften place roma) whe the surfac
cia), o e tissue (st s or dots at
k
ik
s
club-l seen as nec
ycete
nom
are
pyre
© Jens H. Petersen/MycoKey 1995/2011 (www.mycokey.com)

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