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- adnate — pertaining to the attachment of the fertile
tissue (the gills, tubes, spines, etc.) to the stipe of the fungus in which
the attachment is typically perpendicular into the stipe, i.e. without dipping towards the pileus or down the stipe.
- adnexed — pertaining to the attachment of the fertile
tissue (the gills, tubes, spines, etc.) to the stipe of the fungus in which
the fertile tissue typically curves upwards towards the pileus of the
fungus before attaching to the stipe.
- agaric — a term commonly used to describe a fungus
having a cap (pileus), gills (lamellae), and a stem (stipe), i.e.,
what most people would call a mushroom.
- amyloid — a chemical staining reaction in which the
tissue, spore wall ornamentation, etc. stains bluish-black in Melzer's
reagent. Examples include the spore ornamentation of species in the genera Russula and Lactarius.
- annulus — a ring of tissue on the stipe of mushroom
formed by the rupture of a membrane (the partial veil) connecting the cap
and stipe of a developing mushroom. A special layer of tissue that connects
the margin of a mushroom pileus to the stipe that can either form a ring
around the stipe, hang as fragments from the margin of the pileus, or be
variations of the two. Examples may be found in many genera such as Amanita, Cystoderma, Lepiota, and Suillus, among others.
- ascus — a specialized sexual reproductive cell found
in the fertile area of the hymenium of all Ascomycetes. An ascus is
typically club shaped and which forms internally 4 or 8 ascospores, usually
in a row.
- basidia — the plural form of basidium.
- basidium — a specialized sexual reproductive cell
found in the fertile area of the hymenium of all Basidiomycetes, typically
shaped like a baseball bat. A basidium possesses four slightly inwardly
curved horns (sterigma) to which the basidiospores are attached.
- cap — see pileus.
- cespitose — clustered mushrooms fused at the base.
Also spelled caespitose.
- clamp connection — a special connection which forms
at the junction of two adjacent fungal filamentous cells. A clamp
connection looks something like the handle on a coffee cup. However, it may
be flattened against the wall of the cells or may have a large opening (in
this case a keyhole clamp) that allows the migration of nuclei between
- cortina — a special type of annulus that is
filamentous, resembling a spider web, attached from the margin of the cap
(pileus) to the stem (stipe) when young. In age only a few fibers may
remain on the cap margin or the stipe.
- cystidium — a specialized sterile end cell formed
anywhere in fungal tissue. It is most commonly found in the hymenial layer
of tissue, but may also be found on the surface of the cap, the surface of
the stipe, or even within the sterile tissue of the stipe. There are many
different types of cystidia; they are named based on the location where
they are found, e.g. Dermatocystidia- on the surface tissues;
Pileocystidia- found on the surface of the pilius; Caulocystidia- found on
the surface of the stipe; Cheilocystidia- on the edge of the gill;
Pleurocystidia- on the face of the gill; Endocystidia- form in the tramal
tissue of the cap, or stipe; OR on their morphology, function, chemical
reactions etc. such as Leptocystidia-which are thin-walled, smooth and do
not have distinctive contents and are not tramal in origin; Gloeocystidia-
which are variable in shape and stain easily or have conspicuous contents;
Lamprocystidia- which are thick-walled and without conspicuous contents,
etc. See Largent, Johnson, & Watling (Bibliography) for detailed information concerning
these cells, their form, function, description and illustration.
- decurrent — pertaining to the attachment of the gills
to the stipe, in which the gills curve partly down the stipe towards the
base of the stipe.
- deliquescing — the process by which gills in the
genus Coprinus rapidly break down into a black ink-like liquid,
droplets of which disperse spores.
- dextrinoid — a chemical staining reaction in which
the tissue, spore wall ornamentation, etc. stains reddish to reddish-brown
in Melzer's reagent.
- divergent — usually referring to gill trama, in which
the tramal hyphae branch outward from the gill center towards the hymenium
and downward towards the gill edge.
- echinulate — referring to spiny ornamentation; e.g. the fine spines seen on the surface of some species of
puffballs in the genus Lycoperdon. Also, the finely spined spores
of Laccaria species.
- evanescent — rapidly disappearing.
- farinaceous — an odor variously described as that of
raw potatoes, raw cucumbers, or even of soaps; mealy.
- fibrillose — possessing surface fibrils.
- filamentous — composed of thread-like cells.
- floccose — having a cottony appearance, like a
flocked Christmas tree. Seen in some species of Amanita.
- gills — see lamellae.
- globose — round in shape.
- gregarious — a growth form in which mushrooms fruit
in relatively close proximity.
- hygrophanous — having the characteristic of changing
color upon drying.
- KOH — the chemical Potassium Hydroxide. Used in a 3%
solution, it is a standard mounting medium used to rehydrate material for
microscopic examination. It may also be used as a macro- or micro-chemical
reagent differentially staining the tissues of some species. Concentrated
solutions of this chemical are caustic and should be handled with care.
- lamellae — the technical term used to describe the
gills of a mushroom.
- lignicolous — living on wood.
- macrofungi — fungi visible to the naked eye.
- micron — a metric unit of measure equal to one
one-thousandth (1/1000) of a Millimeter. Written as 0.001mm or 1µ or 1 µm.
- mycelium — the filamentous vegetative portion of a
fungus, specifically excluding the fruiting structure or reproductive phase
of the life cycle. The mycelium may be invisible or conspicuous. In some
cases mycelial strands may join to form thick strands called rhizomorphs.
- mycorrhiza — a symbiotic relationship between a
fungus and the roots of a plant.
- pallid — pale, light in color.
- parasitic — a fungus that grows at the expense of
another organism, drawing nourishment from it. Example: Armillaria
mellea (also called the honey mushroom or oak root rot fungus).
- phenolic — having an odor of the chemical phenol.
- pileus — the cap of a mushroom. The
hymenium-supporting part of agarics.
- punctate — having minute scales or points on the
- putrescent — tending to decay rapidly.
- reticulate — uusually referring to a fish-net or
crosshatch pattern. The pattern may be on the surface of a mushroom as in Bolbitius reticulatus, the apex of the stipe as in Boletus
edulis, or in the pattern of the ornamentation on some species of Russula or Lactarius.
- saprophytes — fungi that receive nourishment from
dead organic material.
- scabrous — having conspicuous scales on the surface
as in Leccinum scabrum, a common species introduced into
California with the planting on non-native Birch trees.
- scrobiculate — rounded depressions on the stipe of
some species of mushrooms, as in Lactarius scrobiculatus.
- secotioid — having a morphology intermediate between truffle-like fungi and mushrooms
- sinuate — referring to a type of gill attachment,
specifically gills that are notched at their point of attachment to the
- sphaerocyst — round swollen cells usually formed in
clusters, characteristically found in the Russulaceae. Sphaerocysts make
the flesh of Russulas brittle.
- spore — reproductive cell found in fungi.
- sporocarp — the fungal reproductive structure, e.g. a mushroom that produces spores.
- stem — see stipe.
- stipe — the technical name for a mushroom stem or
stalk. The stipe supports the pileus (cap) in the agarics (gilled
- stipitate — having a stipe or stem.
- taxonomy — the classification of organisms to show
relationships to other organisms.
- tomentose — having very minute fine hairs on the
- truncate — having a flattened or chopped off end like
the end of a baseball bat.
- umbilicate — having a small depression, e.g. as in a belly button.
- umbonate — referring usually to the raised
nipple-like structure at the center of some mushroom caps.
- viscid — slimy, sticky, viscous.
- volva — a sac-like structure formed at the base of a
stipe, such as that found in Amanita species.
- zonate — having a zoned appearance, usually referring
to a mushroom cap that has concentric color bands that give it a zoned
appearance. Common in Lactarius.