S - Mycology Terms
Saprophyte
[ SA-pro-fite ]
Organisms that obtain nutrients from dead or decaying organic matter.
Also known as Saprobes
Scabrous
[ SCAB-rus ]
a rough surface containing scale-like projections; Scabby.
All types of mushroom cap surfaces.
Seceding
[ si-SEED-ing ]
Gills (lamellae) appear torn away or hanging, but where attached at some point in time. Evidence of the attachment may remain on the stipe. This usually occurs in older specimens.
All types of mushroom gill attachments.
Septate
[ SEP-tate ]
separated by a septum.
Septum
[ SEP-tum ]
a cross wall dividing hyphae cells.
plural septa
Sessile
[ SES-il ]
attached without a stipe (stem).
Sinuate
[ SIN-u-ate ]
Lamellae (gills) that are smoothly notched before slighting running down the stipe (stem).
All types of mushroom gill attachments.
Skeletal Hypha
[ skeletal HI-fa ]
Hypha that is long, unbranching with thick-walls of chitin.
Slime Mold
Eukaryotic organisms that can be either unicellular or multicellular and they reproduce by spores.
Formerly part of kingdom Fungi, slime molds are currently within the mycetozoan group of kingdom Protista.
Also known as slime mould.
Also known as slime mould.
Sporangium
[ spo-RAN-gee-um ]
a saclike structure where spores are developed.
Spore
[ spawr ]
The reproductive cells of fungi.
Sporocarp
[ SPO-ro-carp ]
Any fruiting body that produce spores.
Sporophore
[ SPO-ro-fore ]
Specialized hyphae that produce spores.
Squamose
[ SKWAY-mose ]
Covered with scales; Scalelike or scaly.
All types of mushroom cap surfaces.
Squarrose
[ skwa-ROSE ]
A ragged surface covered with small scales.
All types of mushroom cap surfaces.
Stellate
[ STEL-late ]
Star-shaped.
Sterigma
[ steh-RIG-ma ]
an appendage of a basidium where a basidiospore develops.
plural Sterigmata
Stipe
[ stahyp ]
The stem supporting the pileus (cap) of fungi fruiting bodies. Also referred to as a Stem or Stock.
Stipitate
[ STIP-i-tate ]
a mushroom with stipe (stem).
Stolons
[ STO-lons ]
A type of hyphae that connects sporangiophores together and usually spread horizontally.
commonly found in bread molds.
Striate
[ STRY-ate ]
A cap margin with many fine and narrow parallel running stripes. The lines will often coincide with the gills underneath the cap. This type of cap margin is also referred to as striped, furrowed, streaked, ribbed, lined, or wrinkled. Please see sulcate and plicate before identification, as they are all very similar cap margins.
All types of mushroom cap margins.
Strigose
[ STRI-gose ]
A surface covered with long bristle-like hairs.
All types of mushroom cap surfaces.
Subdecurrent
[ sub-DE-cur-rent ]
Where the lamellae (gills) attach and extend slightly down the stipe (stem).
All types of mushroom gill attachments.
Subglobose
[ sub-GLO-bose ]
globelike; nearly spherical.
Substrate
[ SUB-strate ]
a nutrient-rich substance for the mycelium to colonize and where mushrooms grow.
also known as substratum.
Subtomentose
[ sub-toh-MEN-tohs ]
Lightly covered with matted hairs.
Sulcate
[ SUL-kate ]
Narrow parallel grooves that line the margins of the pileus (cap). Sulcate margins are more defined than striate but less ridged than plicated. Also referred to as plicate-striate.
All types of mushroom cap margins.
Superior
[ suh-PEER-ee-er ]
A ring at the very top of the stipe (stem).
Referring to the position of the annulus (ring).
Symbiont
[ sim-BYE-ont ]
an organism living in symbiosis with another organism.
