Two Groups - classifying fungi into ascomycetes and basidiomycetes:
Corticioid, stereoid and coral fungi
basidia lining the undersides of the fruiting bodies |
The corticioid and stereoid fungi have basidia lining the undersides of the fruiting bodies. The corticioid fungi have sheet-like fruiting bodies - often smooth but also found with minor bumps, ridges, spines, etc on the otherwise two-dimensional sheets. The stereoid fruiting bodies also have generally smooth undersides but are bracket-like or with a stem - and therefore differ from the corticioid fungi by being markedly three-dimensional. The following diagram, represents a corticoid fruiting body (the brighter brown) growing on the underside of a piece of wood lying on the ground. You can see the basidia protruding into the air.
Clavaria zollingeri (right) |
A funnel-shaped stereoid fungus such as Cymatoderma elegans var. lamellatum has the basidia on the underside of the sloping funnel area.
In a coral fungus, such as Clavaria zollingeri the basidia are found on many of the branches, as shown in this diagram.