Glossary of mycological terms

Previously, this term referred to asexual spores (conidia) that arise through swelling of a terminal or lateral hyphal cell (as if blown out from it); now the term is rarely used, as different authors understand completely different structures by it.

(a parthenogenetic oospore — developing without fertilization).

In mycology - special star-shaped cells formed on the hyphae of species of the genus Stropharia. These cells have properties that allow the fungus to destroy small nematodes - parasitic worms that harm the fungus as an organism. Acanthocytes were initially discovered in the wine cap mushroom S. rugosoannulata, and later in other species of the genus; in the species S. acanthocystis, these cells were found not only on the hyphae of the mycelium, but also on the hymenium. Species of other genera do not form such cells.

A spore-bearing structure of imperfect and ascomycete fungi (phylum Ascomycota), without a peridium or covered with a weave of hyphae (film), disc-shaped or widely spread over the substrate.

Myxomycetes characterized by the presence of a pseudoplasmodium (aggregate plasmodium), in which amoeboid cells, merging into a common mass, do not lose their individuality.

A spore formed at the tip of a conidiophore or hyphal filament.

Conidia formed in chains such that the youngest are located at the tip of the chain, and the oldest at its base.

Conidia arising at the tips or on the sides of the conidiophore and its branches.

"Ray fungi", mycelial bacteria, previously mistakenly classified as asexual fungi. Many of them are producers of antibiotics, including widely used ones such as nystatin, streptomycin, and cycloheximide.

Mycelium of cultivated fungi that, after shaking, begins to grow rapidly.

A special type of sexual process in some yeast fungi, consisting of the fusion of two sister cells.

A transformed conidium that reaches very large sizes, but does not continue to grow or develop either by budding or by endospore formation.

A species occurring at a considerable distance from its natural range or in unusual habitat conditions; introduced, accidental.

A sorus of various shapes, formed by haploid mycelium in rust fungi with a complete development cycle, representing the main type of spring spore formation in these fungi; it has a rounded shape and contains a mass of aeciospores surrounded by a peridium. See Sorus, Aeciospore.

Mycelium that develops above the substrate.

Respiratory infection through inhalation of air contaminated with fungi.

A type of mycotoxin. They are biological contaminants. Resistant to heat treatment of products. When a high dose of the toxin enters the body, death occurs within several days due to irreversible liver damage; when a low dose enters, chronic aflatoxicosis develops, characterized by suppression of the immune system, DNA damage, and activation of oncogenes. The term "aflatoxin" comes from the name of the species Aspergillus flavus, in which some compounds were first discovered. The most dangerous to human health, farm animals, and birds are aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, M1, and M2 - polyketide metabolites produced by certain species of aspergilli, primarily Aspergillus flavus (B1 and B2) and A. parasiticus (B1, B2, G1, G2). Aflatoxins M1 and M2 can be synthesized by both aforementioned species as minor components, as well as formed in animal tissues as hydroxylation products of aflatoxins B1 and B2. In addition, contamination of cow's milk with aflatoxins M1 and M2 may result from animals consuming feed contaminated with aflatoxins.

Aflatoxin B1 is the most dangerous of all mycotoxins. In addition to its pronounced hepatotoxic, immunosuppressive, and mutagenic effects, this mycotoxin is considered the most carcinogenic not only among aflatoxins, but among all natural compounds.

A gelling substrate of plant origin. It is obtained from marine algae growing along the coasts of the Far Eastern seas (Japanese and Chinese), as well as in the Indian Ocean and some other northern seas. Agar consists of 90 percent carbohydrates, mainly polysaccharides, the primary ones being the hexosan-galactan C6H10O5 and pentosans C5H8O4, while proteins account for 3 percent. In Russia, agar is obtained from red algae of the White Sea. In its finished form, food-grade agar appears as shiny, transparent "strips" or "plates" up to 30 cm long and 0.5 cm wide. They quickly swell in cold water and dissolve completely in hot water. After dissolving in hot water and cooling, agar turns into a colorless, firm jelly without taste or odor. Agar has very high gelling capacity: it forms a firm jelly at a concentration of just 0.5 percent, whereas gelatin requires a 4 percent concentration to achieve the same firmness. It is used in microbiology for preparing solid and semi-solid nutrient media.

A heterogeneous non-taxonomic group of basidiomycetes characterized by the presence of fleshy, relatively fast-developing, and short-lived (quickly decaying) fruiting bodies. A typical fruiting body of an agaricoid fungus consists of a cap and a stem (sometimes reduced) and has a lamellate (gilled) or tubular hymenophore.

See Aphyllophoroid fungi, Basidiomycetes, Gasteroid fungi, Hymenophore.

C6H16O – a substance contained in the fungus Fomitopsis officinalis (Will.) Bond. et Sing.

The main red pigment of the russula mushroom Russula rubra Krbh.

A plasmodium of slime molds (phylum Myxomycota), consisting of separate amoeboid cells that do not fuse with each other.

See pseudoplasmodium.

Organisms lacking chlorophyll and therefore not requiring sunlight (for example, fungi).

A red pigment produced by the fungus Penicillium albidum Sopp.

A terminal or lateral microconidium attached by a broad base to the conidiophore and separating by breaking off from its wall.

from Greek allantoeides — "sausage-shaped", a slightly curved, nipple-shaped, cylindrical spore with rounded ends.

A phytotoxic substance produced by the fungus Alternaria solani (Ell. et Mart.) Sor.

A group of cyclic peptides (octapeptides consisting of eight amino acid residues) found in species of the genus Amanita (fly agarics), primarily in the death cap (A. phalloides), as well as in certain species of the genera Lepiota, Galerina, and Conocybe. All of them contain γ-hydroxylated amino acids, which is a condition for their toxicity. Amatoxins cause necrosis of liver, stomach, and intestinal cells, and to a lesser extent, kidney cells. Ten types of amatoxins are known in total, with α-amanitin and amanin being the most well-known and poisonous. Amatoxins bind to the enzyme RNA polymerase II in the body, blocking its action and halting protein synthesis, thereby causing cell destruction (cytolysis) — liver and kidney cells are particularly sensitive to this effect. The death cap's own RNA polymerases (like some human ones, e.g., RNA polymerase I) are insensitive to amatoxins, which is why the mushroom itself does not die from their action — cytolysis does not occur. The poisons of the death cap also do not affect invertebrates, insects, or their larvae: their biochemistry differs significantly from that of humans, so poisonous mushrooms become infested with larvae just as edible ones do. The belief that "if larvae eat it, it's edible" is a dangerously unscientific misconception. The death cap, in particular, is highly favored by fungivorous insects. All amatoxins are thermostable and cannot be removed from mushroom fruiting bodies by any methods available in household settings; amatoxin-containing mushrooms can be boiled for weeks — the toxin will not go anywhere (among the numerous toxins of the death cap, only phallin is destroyed by boiling, and it is neither the most dangerous nor a decisive factor). Amatoxins are also not destroyed during cold fermentation of mushrooms during salting, remaining intact, nor during drying. In 2023, a specific antidote to amatoxins was discovered — the medical dye indocyanine green, whose action as an antidote is currently under study. However, it is worth remembering that amatoxin poisoning manifests only 6–12 hours after ingestion, by which time the toxin has already damaged a large number of cells. Therefore, indocyanine green cannot yet be called a "panacea."

A reproduction process in fungi in which the most important stages of sexual reproduction are absent, but conjugation and post-meiotic stages associated with sexual reproduction occur.

The vegetative body of some lower fungi and slime molds (myxamoebae) characterized by the absence of a rigid cell wall and, consequently, a constant shape, due to the flow of protoplasm and the formation and retraction of pseudopodia.

A variety of uredinium in rust fungi (phylum Basidiomycota), characterized by larger size and darker coloration than usual. Spherical amphispores are formed in amphisorus.

A urediniospore formed in amphisorus, characterized by thickened and darkly pigmented walls (probably not always). It possibly functions as a resting spore.

The stage of asexual or vegetative reproduction of a fungus, morphologically and karyologically clearly distinct from the perfect stage. Represented by spores arising from mitosis and the structures bearing them, most often conidia on conidiophores.

See Teleomorph).

The stage of asexual or vegetative reproduction in a fungus, morphologically and karyologically distinct from the perfect stage (teleomorph).

The currently accepted designation for a heterogeneous group of fungi, primarily related to ascomycetes and basidiomycetes, that have completely lost sexual reproduction and switched to exclusively asexual reproduction by conidia. The terms deuteromycetes, mitosporic fungi, and imperfect fungi are also used to refer to this group.

See Anamorph, Conidium.

1) The fusion of cells of branched hyphae or germ tubes of germinating spores; 2) The connection of hymenophore plates in fungal fruiting bodies by cross-bridges.

A conidiogenous cell or structure that functions as a male sexual element in ascomycetes.

Antheridia formed on one of the branches of a hypha bearing an oogonium.

A group of fungal species of the phylum Oomycota in which sexual structures (male and female) are formed on one short hyphal branch in close proximity to each other.

A branch on which antheridia are formed (in some fungi of the phylum Ascomycota).

A closed fruiting body of fungi that opens only after spore maturation (for example, in representatives of the phylum Basidiomycota.

A type of development characterized by the opening of fruiting bodies only after spore maturation.

Male gametangium of fungi from various taxonomic groups, fertilizing the egg cell with a spermatozoid or transferring all or part of its protoplasm into the female gametangium.

Fungi that affect almost exclusively humans. For example, species of the genera Trichophyton and Microsporum.

Stemonitoid plasmodium of slime molds (phylum Myxomycota), flattened and transparent, barely noticeable until maturation and fruiting.

A collective non-taxonomic group of basidiomycetes characterized by the presence of predominantly dense, leathery to woody, sometimes perennial fruiting bodies that, after maturation, dry out rather than rot and persist until destroyed by insects. The fruiting bodies of aphyllophoroid fungi develop mainly on woody substrates, have various shapes, and often lack a stem. The hymenophore is most often tubular or of derivatives thereof, or smooth. Aphyllophoroid fungi include groups distinguished based on fruiting body structure, such as hydnoid (toothed), corticioid, clavarioid, and polypore fungi. See: Agaricoid fungi, Basidiomycetes, Gasteroid fungi, Hymenophore, Hydnoid fungi, Corticioid fungi, Clavarioid fungi, Polypore fungi.

A specialized hypha, swollen at the tip and resembling a sucker, serving to attach the germ tube or hypha of certain parasitic fungi at various developmental stages. Characteristic of fungi that are parasites of plants and invertebrate animals.

A cap whose surface cracks into irregularly shaped areas.

The fruiting body of fungi of the phylum Ascomycota. The base of the ascocarp typically consists of a dense weave of vegetative haploid hyphae

A conidiophore resembling an ascus that splits at the apex, allowing the release of conidia (ascoconidia)

Branching hyphae growing from the ascogonium after the transfer of the antheridium contents into it. Dikaryons (pairs of nuclei) pass into these hyphae and then divide synchronously. Asci usually form at the ends of the ascogenous hyphae.

The lower expanded part of the archicarp in fungi of the phylum Ascomycota, from which ascogenous hyphae typically form after plasmogamy

A type of fruiting body development in fungi of the phylum Ascomycota, characterized by the formation of the fruiting body wall simultaneously with the development of ascogenous hyphae and asci with paraphyses, which are typically arranged as a palisade-like hymenial layer

A type of development of false fruiting bodies, or ascostromata, in fungi of the phylum Ascomycota

A structure (hypha, apothecium, cap) that bears, forms, or contains asci (in fungi of the family Helvellaceae, phylum Ascomycota).

The cytoplasm of an ascus, from which ascospores are formed, and the remaining cytoplasm – the epiplasm.

A type of fruiting body in fungi of the phylum Ascomycota, consisting of a weave of hyphae or a stroma on (or in) which asci develop.

The typical reproductive cell of fungi of the phylum Ascomycota, arising as a result of sexual reproduction

Part of the sporocarp of fungi of the phylum Ascomycota, consisting of an ascus (asci) and ascogenous cells

An antibiotic, a bacteriostatic substance produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus.

A fungal disease of humans, animals, and birds caused by aspergilli — molds of the genus Aspergillus. In humans, aspergilli were first discovered by Bennett (J. H. Bennett) in 1844, and the first case of aspergillosis was described by Virchow (R. Virchow) in 1856.
Sporadic cases of aspergillosis among humans occur in all countries of the world.

Most often, aspergilli affect the lungs, where aspergillomas are formed — tumor-like formations consisting of dense interweavings of the fungus. On an X-ray, the tumor-like body is sharply outlined and surrounded by a light narrow crescent-shaped air cushion, resembling a mushroom.

There is no specific prevention for aspergillosis.

Yeasts that do not form ascospores.

One of the pigments produced by the fungus Fusarium culmorum (W. G. Sm.) Sacc.

Eu-form of a rust fungus (phylum Basidiomycota) with all spore stages, developing all stages on a single host plant.

A structure not divided into cells, characteristic of basidial fungi (phylum Basidiomycota); a unicellular basidium on which basidiospores are formed.

See Basidium.

Autolysis (self-decomposition) of living mycelium in pure culture.

The coloring of typically colorless fungal hyphae through contact with a substrate that was previously stained by a pigment secreted by the fungus during its growth into the substrate.

Capable of growing without access to organic substances as energy sources.

Self-oxidation of fungal structures under the influence of air, often accompanied by their coloring.

Bacteria, fungi, or algae that have lost the ability to synthesize, from simpler precursor substances, the compounds necessary for their growth.

Fungi that develop on living and dead non-woody plant tissues.

A spore morphologically equivalent to a zygospore, but developing parthenogenetically (in fungi of the phylum Zygomycota).

From Greek basis — base, foundation. In anatomy — basic, located at the base or foundation.

Multicellular structure characteristic of basidiomycetes, in which basidia (spore-producing cells) develop and sexual spores (basidiospores) are formed.

Young or underdeveloped basidia, characteristic of fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota

The fruiting body of fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota.

Sexual reproduction spores formed exogenously on a basidium in fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota.

A sexual spore-bearing structure in basidiomycete fungi. Karyogamy and meiosis occur within it. Basidiospores are formed on the basidium.

Lat. basionym, from Greek βασις — "base" and ωνυμα — "name", or basionym of a biological taxon name — a name that was replaced by another using the same stem or epithet due to a change in the systematic position and (or) rank of the taxon.

In other words, a basionym is an earlier name of a biological taxon on which the current name is based.

The term "basionym" is used in botany only when there is a previous name with a useful description, and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants (ICNafp) does not require a full description of the new name. Thus, the basionym must be legitimate. Basionyms are governed by Articles 6.10, 7.3, 41, and other articles of the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants.

If the current name has a basionym, then the author or authors of the basionym are indicated in parentheses at the beginning of the list of authors. If it is later found that the basionym is illegitimate, then it becomes a replaced synonym, and the list of authors of the current name must be changed so that the authors of the basionym are not mentioned.

An oncostatic drug obtained from chaga — the sterile form of the polypore fungus (Inonotus obliquus (Pers.) Pil.).

A group of parasitic fungi that has differentiated within a species or subspecies as a result of adaptation to a narrow range of host plants, constituting a physiological race.

A phenomenon observed in rust fungi, powdery mildews, and other fungi, in which representatives of a species exhibit physiological specialization toward a host or group of hosts.

Fungi and bacteria that obtain necessary nutrients and energy from living cells of animals, plants, and fungi.

Asci with a distinctly two-layered shell, consisting of a rigid outer layer and a thin, elastic inner layer. When ascospores mature, the outer layer of the ascus wall breaks down, starting from the apex; the inner layer stretches under turgor pressure, ruptures at the apex, and active discharge of ascospores occurs.

A toxic glycoprotein isolated from the Satan's bolete (Boletus satanas). It is a thermolabile (heat-labile) inhibitor of protein synthesis. In addition to the accumulation of toxins in the liver and other human organs, poisoning by bolesatin causes agglutination of erythrocytes and platelets when threshold concentrations are reached. The following symptoms are observed in case of poisoning: hypertension and dizziness. In severe cases, death is possible.

Fungal decay of wood in which cellulose is destroyed but not lignin. As a result, the wood dries out, acquires a brown color, and cracks into pieces of roughly cubic shape.

See White rot.

The first conidium in chains of fungi of the genus Albugo (phylum Oomycota)

An oncostatic substance produced by the gasteromycete Calvatia gigantea (Pers.) Lloyd.

Fruiting body of certain higher fungi of the phylum Basidiomycota, having the shape of a club.

The International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants, known as the "Code", is a set of internationally agreed rules and recommendations for naming these organisms. Scientific nomenclature has deep historical roots. Indeed, the system of naming organisms is one of the first truly global scientific standards. This important reference traces back to Alphonse de Candolle's 1867 work "Lois de la nomenclature botanique" (Laws of Botanical Nomenclature). The current 2025 edition of the Code, the Madrid Code, reflects decisions made at the Twentieth International Botanical Congress, which took place in Madrid, Spain, in July 2024. The Congress discussed 447 proposals for amendments to the Code and adopted important new rules, including a voluntary registration mechanism for plant and algae names, clarifications regarding names of fossil taxa, the possibility to reject a new name if it is derogatory toward any group of people, and replacement of an epithet that was considered particularly offensive (with afra, afrorum, and afrum).

An exogenous structural formation (propagule) formed without nuclear recombination, i.e., by asexual means.

A delicate fringed partial veil consisting of cobwebby fibers that connect the edge of the cap to the stem (for example, in webcaps - species of the genus Cortinarius).

Cryptic (or hidden) species are those that are morphologically so similar that, during taxonomic analysis, the individuals belonging to them were classified as a single species, but later, upon more detailed analysis, it was revealed that they are reproductively isolated and differ in certain other characteristics (ecological, cytogenetic, etc.).

A dangerous mycosis affecting the brain of humans and animals, caused by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans (phylum Ascomycota). In nature, this pathogen is found in pigeon droppings. It is characterized by lesions of the central nervous system, lungs, skin, and mucous membranes. Without treatment, the disease can be fatal.

The outer, denser, usually darkly pigmented layer that forms the envelope of the sterile fleshy part of the apothecium in fungi - discomycetes (phylum Ascomycota).

"Fairy rings" (or "circles") — the arrangement of fruiting bodies (carpophores) of gilled mushrooms in fairly regular circles (rings) along the periphery of the mycelium spreading in the soil from its original source — a basidiospore, sclerotium, or other modification of the mycelium. They sometimes reach up to 600 m in diameter. They received their name in folk tradition, which considered such growth of mushrooms to be the result of supernatural forces.

A group of compounds belonging to the subclass of triterpenes within terpenes - a class of hydrocarbons. The general formula of triterpenes is C30H48, (C10H16)3. Fasciculols are polycyclic triterpenes with a lanostane skeleton, toxic to humans and other warm-blooded animals to varying degrees. They have been isolated from species of the genera Hypholoma and Hebeloma.

In mycological terms, two species of false honey mushrooms are most significant as carriers of fasciculols: the brick-red Hypholoma lateritium and the sulfur-yellow Hypholoma fasciculare (from whose species epithet the entire group of these compounds received its name). In hypholomas, fasciculols designated by letters from A to M, fasciculolic acids A-C, and fascicularones A and B have been found.

The brick-red false honey mushroom, previously often considered simply inedible due to its bitter taste, contains fasciculols B and C, which showed toxicity in experiments on laboratory animals, but are thermolabile - destroyed by heating. Therefore, boiling eliminates the toxicity of this species of false honey mushroom (and also removes the bitterness, clearly noticeable in the raw flesh of the mushroom), making it edible and suitable for frying and preserving. In many modern sources, this false honey mushroom is no longer classified as a poisonous or inedible species, having rightfully moved into the conditionally edible category.

Much more dangerous is the sulfur-yellow false honey mushroom, containing the most poisonous of the fasciculols - E and F. They are thermostable and resistant to high temperatures. Usually, a person cannot consume a large amount of this mushroom, as its bitterness does not disappear after heat treatment; in this case, poisoning is limited to gastrointestinal disorders, muscle weakness, and sometimes visual impairment, and after a few days the symptoms disappear on their own, without treatment. Specific antidotes to fasciculols E and F are not known to medicine, so only supportive treatment and sorbents are used. However, when large doses of these poisons enter the body, dystrophic changes in the liver and kidneys, muscle paresis, severe visual impairment, coma, and death from paralysis of the respiratory muscles are observed. In practice, fortunately, fatal poisonings with sulfur-yellow honey mushroom are unknown. A nasty mushroom, but an honest one, warning the eater of its toxicity with a bitter taste and repulsive odor - reminiscent of raw dug-up earth, not unpleasant, but completely unappetizing.

Other fasciculols are low-toxic and have no toxicological significance, as the hypholoma species containing them are rare and are not consumed even by mistake. There is no information about the content of fasciculols in the edible false honey mushroom Hypholoma capnoides, also known as the poplar honey mushroom; possibly, they are absent or thermolabile.

According to some data, the potential anti-inflammatory properties of fasciculols are currently being studied, but which specific ones are not specified in the source of this data (L. Protasyuk for thePharmaMedia). It is also mentioned there that fasciculols demonstrate an anticoagulant effect.

Fasciculols have not been found in representatives of other genera.

Hyphae of gilled mushrooms of the phylum Basidiomycota (for example, on the surface of stems), running parallel or somewhat interwoven and forming a certain semblance of tissue.

Formations that result from pathological overgrowth of plant tissue areas (hypertrophy) under the influence of germinating fungal spores — causative agents of diseases — and the activity of the pathogen during the disease process.

Sexual structures of fungi and other organisms in which gametes develop.

Mushrooms that cause hallucinations when consumed. The hallucinogenic properties of certain mushrooms were known to the priests of the Maya tribe in ancient Guatemala and Mexico, who used them in religious ceremonies. From hallucinogenic mushrooms, for example, from species of the genus Psilocybe, substances such as psilocin and psilocybin have been isolated, which have psychotropic effects. In recent years, these substances have found application in psychotherapy.

– glassy, transparent.

Mycelium of a fungus that develops within the substrate.

Stem located at the edge of the cap of fungal fruiting bodies.

A chronic disease of fungal nature. A syndrome characterized by a unilateral, localized, painless, dense infiltrate on the foot or hand, swelling, formation of granulomas and fistulas. Bone tissue may become involved in the process, leading to limb deformity.

Mycetoma, or maduromycosis, Madura foot, was first described in Sanskrit in the Vedic texts in India. The first modern source in English was written much later as a result of research in the Madras region. The disease was named in the mid-19th century after the city of Madura in southern India (modern name - Madurai), where this disease was widespread.

The pathogen is generally present in soil in the form of spores. Infection occurs when the fungus enters tissues through a wound in the skin caused by sharp objects, for example after being pricked by thorns, stones, or splinters.

It belongs to the group of neglected tropical diseases due to its extremely low prevalence in developed countries.

A mycotoxin found in mushrooms of the family Cortinariaceae. Structurally, it is a bipyridine N-oxide, somewhat related to the herbicide diquat.

Orellanine first attracted attention in 1952, when a mass poisoning of 102 people in Konin, Poland, resulted in 11 deaths.

Orellanine poisoning is characterized by a prolonged latent period: initial symptoms typically appear 2–4–14 days after mushroom consumption. The latent period shortens with increasing amounts of mushrooms ingested. The first symptoms of orellanine poisoning resemble those of ordinary mild food poisoning (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headaches, myalgia, etc.). These symptoms are followed by early stages of kidney failure (intense thirst, frequent urination, pain in and around the kidneys), and then reduced or complete absence of urination and other symptoms of renal failure. Without treatment, death may occur.

The LD50 of orellanine for mice ranges from 12 to 20 mg per kg of body weight; this is the dose that leads to death within two weeks.

There is no known antidote for orellanine poisoning. Treatment mainly consists of supportive therapy and hemodialysis if necessary. Complete recovery of kidney function occurs in only about 30% of poisoned individuals.

A process of cell damage resulting from oxidation, arising from an excess of free radicals and a deficiency of antioxidants that counteract them.
Free radicals (byproducts of cellular processes that use oxygen) are not neutralized and react with important cellular components: proteins, lipids, DNA. This leads to damage and death of cells, disruption of organ and tissue functions.

Multicellular or unicellular non-sporogenous outgrowths in some algae, fungi, and mosses, protecting the sexual or spore-bearing organs from desiccation and mechanical damage.

A method of thermal treatment of a substrate containing organic compounds, aimed at eliminating bacteria from it.

A pigment that gives a reddish-yellow color to the fruiting bodies of fungi of the order Polyporales. It is a para-terphenyl benzoquinone compound, first identified by the German chemist Stahlschmidt from the mycelial culture of the fungus Hapalopilus nidulans in 1877. It exhibits some antifungal and antibacterial activity. Animal studies have shown that consumption of polyporic acid leads to reduced motor activity, suppression of response to visual stimuli, liver and kidney failure, metabolic acidosis, hypokalemia, and hypocalcemia.

Polyporic acid is an inhibitor of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, which is involved in the pyrimidine synthesis process.

Asci of ascomycetes having a thin, undifferentiated wall that disintegrates or dissolves, passively releasing the ascospores.

A cluster of amoebae representing the vegetative phase of lower organisms of the class Acrasiomycetes (phylum Myxomycota). It differs from true plasmodia in that the amoebae do not fully fuse, and each of them continues to carry out assimilative functions independently.

A toxic protein - hemolysin, isolated from the blusher mushroom Amanita rubescens. It was named after this species. Similar substances are also found in species of the genera Pleurotus (oyster mushroom) and Flammulina (velvet foot).

When entering the bloodstream, rubescenslysin causes destruction of cell membranes of erythrocytes and leukocytes, plasma release (actual blood breakdown), disruption of liver and kidney function, heart, and central nervous system. LD50 is 0.25 mg/kg (mice, rats - intravenous).

However, for humans, neither the blusher mushroom - a good edible mushroom - nor, under the circumstances, rubescenslysin itself poses an actual threat. First of all, it is not absorbed by the human digestive system and does not penetrate into the blood, and when it enters the stomach - it is harmless and leaves the gastrointestinal tract "the main way". In addition, rubescenslysin is thermolabile and cannot withstand heating above 80°C.

Saprotroph – an organism that lives on dead organic substrate.

Dikaryotic mycelium that develops in representatives of basidiomycetes (phylum Basidiomycota) as a result of plasmogamy of hyphal cells of primary mycelia. Usually, secondary mycelium has clamp connections.
Secondary mycelium is differentiated into a main axis and lateral branches, has anastomoses and binucleate coenocytic cells.

Mycorrhiza that colonizes the surface of already existing mycorrhizae (for example, Fagus silvatica L.).

Asexual spores (oidia, conidia, chlamydospores) of higher basidiomycete fungi, formed on the assimilative mycelium or on the hyphae of the fruiting body.

A sac-like wrapping or rim at the base of the stem of certain gilled mushrooms (for example, in species of the genus Amanita, phylum Basidiomycota), which is a remnant of the universal veil that surrounds the young fruiting body of the mushroom and later ruptures as the fruiting body expands.

From Greek soros meaning "heap". 1) A group of densely arranged spores or organs of asexual reproduction—sporangia (e.g., in myxomycetes, fungi) or sexual reproduction—oogonia, spermatangia; 2) A group of fruiting bodies in some lower fungi.

The perfect stage of fungal development. The stage of sexual reproduction in a fungus, usually represented by a fruiting body. Meiosis occurs in the teleomorph, resulting in the formation of sexual spores.

A stage that always occurs on the same host plant as the uredinial stage, and is characterized by the formation of two additional types of spores: teliospores and basidiospores. In most rust fungi, teliospores appear toward the end of the growing season and serve for overwintering; therefore, they are equipped with thick, darkly pigmented walls. They may form similarly to urediniospores in open telia (as dark brown or nearly black, powdery clusters), beneath the epidermis or within epidermal cells (as convex, glossy, dark brown or black crusts on affected plant parts), or directly on the plant surface (as brown villi or gelatinous orange-brown outgrowths). After overwintering, teliospores germinate to produce basidia, on which basidiospores develop; the latter again facilitate host alternation (in heteroecious species) and primary infection of plants. In some rust fungi, teliospores do not overwinter; they germinate into basidia in autumn, and the resulting basidiospores immediately infect plants. See Uredinial stage, Teliospore, Basidiospore.

Description. Link to Abaxial.

1) Bladder-like sacs into which the contents of zoosporangia transform in pythiaceous fungi (family Pythiaceae, phylum Oomycota); 2) Rounded swellings of fungal hyphae that penetrate into the cells of higher plant roots during mycorrhiza formation (for example, in species of the genus Endogone (phylum Zygomycota) with strawberry, apple, tomato, lettuce, and wheat).

The degree of pathogenicity (disease-causing activity) of a fungus.

A reserve nutrient substance in the form of polyphosphate granules, found in many fungi and algae.

The remnant of the universal veil in some fungi of the order Agaricales, or the peridium in certain fungi of the gasteromycete group, phylum Basidiomycota, which persists at the base of the fruiting body's stem in the form of a sac, cup, or sheath.

Fungal decay of wood caused by the decomposition of lignin and cellulose. The wood acquires a whitish color, becomes soft, fibrous, and often delaminates along the annual rings.

See Brown rot.

A plant disease caused by fungi of the family Albuginaceae (phylum Oomycota), named for the white pustules (cushions), initially covered by the epidermis and later powdery, resembling in appearance the sporulation of rust fungi (order Uredinales, phylum Basidiomycota).