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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 developing cells.
- 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 surface.
- 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 stipe.
- 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 mushrooms).
- 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 surface.
- 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.