Agaricomycetes

Agaricomycetes

The Agaricomycetes class contains mushrooms, bracket fungi, and puffballs. Estimates predict there are around 21,000 Agaricomycetes species (as of 2008). The majority of Agaricomycetes are terrestrial, but some are aquatic.

Being Basidiomycete fungi, species of this class develop basidiospores on a basidium.

Most edible mushrooms belong to Agaricomycetes except for truffles and morels in the Ascomycota division. However, some of the most poisonous organisms in the world are Agaricomycetes.

Unique Traites and Characteristics

• Includes: true mushrooms, bracket fungi and puffballs.
• Excludes: rusts, smuts and most jelly fungi.
• Most editable and poinsonous mushrooms.
• Reproduces sexually where basidiospores develop on a basidium.

Agaricomycetes Subclasses and Orders

Orders without a subclass:

• Auriculariales
• Cantharellales
• Corticiales
• Gloeophyllales
• Hymenochaetales
• Hymenochaetales
• Polyporales
• Russulales
• Sebacinales
• Stereopsidales
• Thelephorales
• Trechisporales

Agaricomycetidae (subclass)

• Agaricales
• Amylocorticiales
• Atheliales
• Boletales
• Jaapiales
• Lepidostromatales

Phallomycetidae (subclass)

• Geastrales
• Gomphales
• Hysterangiales
• Phallales