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A

Agar — A gelatinous medium (usually from seaweed) used to grow fungi and microbes on plates.
Agarose — Purified agar polysaccharide used for gels and certain lab applications.
Amanitin — A potent cyclic peptide toxin found in some Amanita species.
Amyloid (reaction) — Blue-black reaction in Melzer’s reagent; used to describe spore/structure staining.
Anamorph — The asexual reproductive form of a fungus (conidia stage).
Annulus (Ring) — Ring of tissue on the stipe, remnant of the partial veil.
Aseptic Technique — Methods that prevent contamination of cultures, tools, and media.
Ascocarp — Sexual fruiting body of Ascomycota (e.g., apothecia, perithecia).
Ascomycete (Ascomycota) — Phylum producing spores in asci; includes morels, cup fungi, many molds/yeasts.
Ascospore — Sexual spore formed inside an ascus.
Ascus (pl. Asci) — Sac-like cell in Ascomycota where ascospores develop.
Autoclave — Pressurized steam device used to sterilize media, tools, and equipment.
Azygospore — Spore formed without gamete fusion in some fungi.

B

Basidiocarp — Sexual fruiting body of Basidiomycota (mushroom, bracket, puffball).
Basidiomycete (Basidiomycota) — Phylum producing spores on basidia; includes most “classic” mushrooms.
Basidiospore — Sexual spore formed externally on a basidium.
Basidium (pl. Basidia) — Club-shaped cell in Basidiomycota that bears basidiospores.
Bioassay — Test using living systems to evaluate biological activity (e.g., toxicity); not a medical claim.
Bioluminescence (Foxfire) — Natural light emission by some fungi (e.g., Panellus, Omphalotus).
Bioremediation / Mycoremediation — Using organisms/fungi to help break down pollutants or improve soils.
Brown-Rot / White-Rot — Wood-decay strategies; brown-rot leaves brown, crumbly lignin; white-rot breaks down lignin leaving whitish fibrous wood.
Bolete — Pored mushroom (order Boletales) with sponge-like underside rather than gills.

C

Cap (Pileus) — Top of a mushroom; protects the hymenium (gills, pores, teeth).
Chitin — Structural polysaccharide in fungal cell walls (also in arthropods).
Clamp Connection — Bridge-like hyphal structure in many Basidiomycota that helps maintain dikaryons.
Coenocytic (Aseptate) — Hyphae lacking septa (cross-walls); common in some early-diverging lineages.
Conidium (pl. Conidia) — Asexual spore formed on hyphae or specialized cells (conidiophores).
Conidiophore — Specialized hypha that bears conidia.
Cortina — Cobweb-like partial veil (e.g., Cortinarius), often leaves rusty fibers on stipe.
Cotton Blue (Lactophenol Cotton Blue) — Common microscopy stain highlighting fungal structures.
Culture — A laboratory growth of a fungus on nutrient media.
Cystidium (pl. Cystidia) — Sterile cells on gills/pores/teeth; useful for identification.

D

Decurrent — Gills or ridges that run down the stipe.
Deliquescent — Self-digesting gills/caps in “inkcap” mushrooms.
Dextrinoid (reaction) — Reddish-brown reaction in Melzer’s (iodine) reagent.
Dikaryon / Dikaryotic — Cells with two genetically distinct nuclei (n+n) typical of many Basidiomycota.
Dimictic / Trimitic / Monomitic — Hyphal systems with two/three/one hyphal types (generative, skeletal, binding).

E

Ectomycorrhizae (ECM) — Mutualism where fungi sheath roots of trees/plants and exchange nutrients.
Endophyte — Fungus living inside plant tissues without causing disease.
Endomycorrhizae / Arbuscular Mycorrhizae (AMF) — Fungi penetrate root cells forming arbuscules/vesicles for exchange.
Ergosterol — Major fungal membrane sterol; target of some antifungal drugs.
Exudate / Metabolite “guttation” — Droplets on mycelium/fruiting bodies; may be pigments or metabolites.

F

FAE (Fresh Air Exchange) — Air movement that reduces CO₂ around cultures/fruiting bodies (cultivation term; legality varies by species and jurisdiction).
Field Capacity — Moisture level a substrate holds after draining excess water (cultivation term).
Filamentous — Thread-like growth (hyphae).
Flow Hood (Laminar Flow Hood) — HEPA-filtered work area providing clean air for sterile work.
Fruiting Body (Sporocarp) — Visible reproductive structure (mushroom, bracket, puffball, cup).

G

Gasteroid — Enclosed spore-bearing fungi (e.g., puffballs, earthstars).
Gill (Lamellae) — Radiating plates under caps where spores form (on the hymenium).
Gleba — Spore-bearing inner tissue of puffballs/stinkhorns.
Glomeromycota — Phylum containing many arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
Grain Spawn — Sterilized grain colonized by mycelium (cultivation term).
Guttation — See Exudate.

H

Hypha (pl. Hyphae) — Thread-like fungal filament forming the mycelium.
Hyphal Knot — Tiny aggregations of hyphae that can develop into primordia (cultivation term).
Hymenium — Fertile spore-producing layer (on gills, pores, teeth, cups).
Hymenophore — Structure that bears the hymenium (gills, pores, teeth, ridges).
Hypogeous — Fruiting below ground (e.g., truffles).

I

Inoculation — Introducing fungal tissue or spores into media or a substrate.
ITS Region (Internal Transcribed Spacer) — Common DNA barcode for fungal identification.
Involute / Revolute (Margin) — Inrolled / rolled-back cap margin terms.

J

Jack-o’-Lantern — Common name for bioluminescent Omphalotus species (do not confuse with chanterelles).

K

KOH (Potassium Hydroxide) Test — Chemical test on cap/flesh; used in ID and microscopy.
Kuehneromyces — Example genus; included here as a reminder: genus-level IDs require multiple characters and often microscopy/DNA.

L

Laccate — Shiny, varnished-looking cap surface.
Lamellae — See Gill.
Laminar Flow — Streamlined, particulate-free airflow used for sterile technique.
Latex (Lactarius/Milkcap) — Milky exudate from gills/flesh in certain genera.
Lichen — Symbiosis of fungus with algae/cyanobacteria forming a composite organism.
Lignicolous — Growing on wood.
Liquid Culture (LC) — Sterile nutrient liquid with suspended mycelium; used to inoculate media for lawful purposes (legality depends on species/jurisdiction).

M

Macrofungi / Microfungi — Visible fruiting bodies vs. microscopic fungi (molds/yeasts).
MEA / PDA — Malt Extract Agar / Potato Dextrose Agar; common culture media.
Melzer’s Reagent — Iodine solution testing amyloid/dextrinoid reactions.
Metabolites — Compounds produced by fungi (pigments, acids, etc.).
Micelle vs. Mycelium — Micelle = chemistry term; Mycelium = fungal network of hyphae.
Mycelium — Vegetative, filamentous network forming the main body of a fungus.
Mycologist — Scientist or enthusiast who studies fungi.
Mycorrhiza (pl. Mycorrhizae) — Mutualistic association between fungi and plant roots.
Mycotoxin — Toxic secondary metabolite produced by some fungi (e.g., aflatoxins, ochratoxin).
Mycophagy / Mycophilia — Eating/enthusiasm for mushrooms (never a safety guarantee).
Mycophobia — Aversion/fear of mushrooms.

N

Necrotroph / Biotroph — Pathogens killing host tissue vs. living within/feeding on living cells.
Nematode-Trapping Fungi — Fungi forming traps/adhesive nets to capture nematodes.
Node (Hyphal) — Junction of hyphae; organization point in mycelial networks.

O

Oomycetes — Fungus-like organisms (water molds) not in Kingdom Fungi.
Ostioles — Openings in perithecia/pycnidia through which spores exit.
Overlay — Dense surface mycelium that can inhibit pinning in cultivation contexts.

P

Partial Veil — Tissue covering gills/pores in immature mushrooms; forms an annulus or fibrils.
Peridium — Outer layer of puffballs/earthballs/stinkhorns.
Perithecium (pl. Perithecia) — Flask-shaped ascocarp with an ostiole.
Pileipellis — Cap cuticle layer (e.g., ixocutis, trichoderm); useful in microscopy/ID.
Pileus — See Cap.
Pin / Pinning — Earliest visible primordia of fruiting bodies (cultivation term).
Polypore — Pore-bearing bracket fungi (family-rich group on wood).
Pores (Tubes) — Sponge-like hymenophore of boletes/polypores.
Primordia — Early developmental stage of fruiting bodies.
Puffball — Gasteroid fungus releasing spores via an opening/rupture.
Punctate — Dotted or point-marked surface texture.

Q

Q Ratio (Spore Q) — Spore length/width ratio used in microscopic identification.

R

Rhizomorph — Root-like bundles of hyphae used for transport/exploration.
Ring — See Annulus.
Rugose — Wrinkled surface texture.
Rusts / Smuts — Plant-pathogenic fungi with specialized spore stages.

S

Saprotroph (Saprobe) — Organism that feeds on dead organic matter.
Sclerotium (pl. Sclerotia) — Hardened, dormant mass of mycelium storing nutrients.
Septa (Septum) — Cross-walls dividing hyphae into cells.
Spine/Teeth (Hydnoid) — Tooth-like hymenophore (e.g., Hericium).
Spore — Reproductive cell; can be sexual (ascospore/basidiospore) or asexual (conidium).
Spore Ornamentation — Surface features (warts, ridges, reticulations) visible microscopically.
Spore Print — Color of deposited spores; key field character (white, pink, brown, black, etc.).
Sporocarp — See Fruiting Body.
Sterigma (pl. Sterigmata) — Small projections on basidia bearing basidiospores.
Stipe — Mushroom “stem.”
Stroma (pl. Stromata) — Dense tissue mass bearing reproductive structures.
Substrate — Material a fungus grows on (wood, soil, media).
Symbiosis — Close biological interaction; includes mutualism, commensalism, parasitism.

T

Taxonomy — Classification of organisms by shared features/evolutionary relationships.
Teeth — See Spine/Teeth.
Teleomorph — Sexual reproductive form of a fungus.
Trama — Inner tissue of gills/pores.
Trichoderma — Fast-growing green mold common as a lab/ grow contaminant.
Trimethylamine (TMA) Odor — “Fishy” smell sometimes noted in decaying fungi (not diagnostic).
Trimitic / Dimictic / Monomitic — See under D.
Tuber — Truffle genus; hypogeous, mycorrhizal fungi.

U

Universal Veil — Tissue enclosing immature mushrooms; remnants form volva, patches, or warts.
Utriform — Flask-like cystidia shape term (microscopy).

V

Vesicle (AMF) — Storage structure in roots formed by some arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
Viscid / Glutinous — Sticky, gelatinous cap surface when moist.
Volva — Cup/sac at stipe base; remnant of universal veil (critical safety character).

W

White-Rot / Brown-Rot — See B (wood-decay modes).
Woolly / Fibrillose — Surface textures with hairlike fibers; descriptive ID terms.

X

Xerophilic — Adapted to low-water environments or high osmotic pressure.

Y

Yeast — Unicellular fungal growth form (many Ascomycota and some Basidiomycota).

Z

Zoospore — Motile spore with flagella (e.g., Chytridiomycota).
Zygospore — Sexual spore from fusion of compatible hyphae in “zygomycete” lineages (historic term).
Zygomycetes (Historic) — Former phylum now split among groups (e.g., Mucoromycota, Zoopagomycota).

Field ID Terms (Quick Reference)

Free / Adnate / Adnexed / Decurrent (Gills) — How gills attach to the stipe: not attached / broadly attached / narrowly attached / running down.
Umbo / Umbonate — Central bump on the cap.
Striate / Sulcate — Grooved or lined cap margin/surface.
Reticulate — Net-like pattern (e.g., on bolete stipes).
Bruising / Staining — Color change of tissues when handled or cut (not a safety test by itself).

Safety & Compliance Notes (General)

• Identification requires multiple characters (macroscopic + microscopic; sometimes DNA).

• Spore print color is a helpful but not definitive character.

• Legal use varies by species and jurisdiction. Myco Maestro does not make medical claims and promotes lawful, educational use only.