Technical Terms and Abbreviations For Foragers and Mushroom Enthusiasts
Edited by Attila Fődi and Eric Biggane

 

Abbreviations

 

aff. = affinis, means ‘having an affinity to’. In other words, we use it when a specimen looks rather close to the named species, but we are unsure. It could be used interchangeably with →cf.

aggr. = aggregatum, means ‘aggregate’ or a group of very closely related, rather similar looking species within a →genus.

auct. = auctor or ‘author’ refers to the scientist or scientists (botanists, biologists, mycologists, etc.) who described the species.

cf. = conferre, means compare [the specimen you found] to [the description of the mentioned species]. It is used when there are too many ID features missing, or the mentioned species only can be distinguished from its lookalikes if microscopic features are checked under microscope or molecular genetic analysis is performed. It could be used interchangeably with →aff.

ex (in a scientific name when referring to different authors of the same species) means the author (before the ex) was the first who described the species, but the publication doesn’t mean all the criteria of a valid publication, however the later (sanctioning) author(s) accept the name and published it validly later.

f. = forma, is used to describe a uniquely appearing form of a species, e.g., Boletus edulis f. albus used to be refer to the colourless (white) form the well-known Penny Bun (Boletus edulis).

s.l. = sensu lato, means ‘in broader sense’. It is used widely when we refer to a species before the era of the DNA sequencing-based new taxonomy. For example: Auricularia auricula-judae s.l. might refer to our European Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae), the North American Auricularia angiospermarum and the East Asian Wood Ear (Auricularia heimuer) altogether with a few other closely related species.

s.str. = sensu stricto, means ‘in narrow sense’. Following the above used example, Auricularia auricula-judae s.str. only refers to our European Jelly Ear and cannot be used to refer Auricularia heimuer or other recently described closely related species.

sect. = sectio, means section, which is a taxonomic rank below genus, but above species. For example, all the Grisettes can be referred as Amanita sect. Vaginatae, and all the lookalikes of Glistening Inkcap can be referred as Coprinellus sect. Micacei.

sensu auct. = sensu auctorum, means ‘in sense of certain author(s)’ [named after]. For an example of how it is used: Trametes coccinea (Fr.) Hai J. Li & S.H. He (2014) was (mistakenly) named as Pycnoporus cinnabarinus sensu auct. NZ (in a source called: NZ Fungi, which is an on-line database of New Zealand Fungi and Bacteria), while Trametes cinnabarina (syn: Pycnoporus cinnabarinus) is a different, but closely related species of Trametes coccinea.

sp. = species [singular] or spp. [plural], means species. It is a taxonomic rank that identifies certain member of a →genus.

syn. = synonym, an alternatively used (former) scientific name which is still considered valid. They mostly appear when more authors described the same species under different names, and the newer names become synonyms of the oldest valid name.

var. = varietas, means ‘variety’, and used when some (mostly) macroscopic features are completely different than the typical specimens of a species. These varieties have often arisen to a species-level, but sometimes the scientific debate continues after this step. Just two examples: Rosy Bonnet (Mycena rosea) was referred as Mycena pura var. rosea for many years, now it is an individual species. However, Daedaleopsis tricolor was treated as separate species (based on macromorphology), but based on the molecular genetic analysis of European samples it should be treated as varietas only under the name: Daedaleopsis confragosa var. tricolor.

 

Technical Terms 

 

adnate (gill attachment) means ‘to grow to’ and used when the gills are broadly attached to the stem.

adnexed (gill attachment) means ‘tied to’ or ‘bound to’ and used when the gills are narrowly attached to the stem.

appendiculate (describing a cap margin) fringed with remains of the veil, e.g., Lacrymaria lacrymabunda.

appressed closely flattened onto surface.

amyloid (spores) means ‘starch-like’ and used to describe spores that stain blue (or bluish black) in the presence of Iodine, same as starch (because these spore’s cell wall contains starch).

anamorph refers to the imperfect (asexual) stage of a fungal species which looks different than the sexual stage of the very same species. Sometimes it can be found under different scientific names than the sexual form (taxonomists are working to emerge these names and find the ones that should be used in the future). Just one example: the anamorph stage of Beefsteak Fungus (Fistulina hepatica) is known as Confistulina hepatica.

anastomosis in micromorphology, it refers to interconnection between the gills of an agaric mushroom, its existence or absence is an important macroscopic ID feature.

annulus means ‘ring’ or skirt which is a remnant of a →partial veil on the stem.

apothecium [singular] or apothecia [plural] refers to a bowl or cup-shaped fruit body of ascomycete fungi (and lichens).

ascocarp refers to the fruit body of an ascomycete, e.g., Peziza spp., Morchella spp. They are categorised by their shape, the two most well-known are: →apothecium, →perithecium.

ascomycetes as a colloquial name refers to all the species which produce their →ascospores in a sac-like structure, called →ascus that typically contains 8 spores.

ascospores refers to the spores of an ascomycete fungus.

ascus [singular] or asci [plural] a sac-like structure that produces typically 8 →ascospores.

basidiocarp refers to the fruit body of a basidiomycete, e.g., Boletus spp., Agaricus spp., Polyporus spp.

basidiospores refers to the spores of a basidiomycete fungus.

clade means ‘branch’ refers to a natural (monophyletic) group of organisms and all its descendants in a so-called phylogenetic tree or cladogram (a branching diagram that shows the cladistic/phylogenetic relationship of organisms, e.g., species). As a term it is used in cladistics and phylogenetics which study the evolutionary history and relationships of organisms.

class Classis (taxonomic rank) higher than →order, lower than →division.

conidium [singular] or conidia [plural] refers to the asexual, non-motile spores of some fungal species. Sometimes it is called mitospores because they are generated through a process called mitosis (when the chromosomes are separated to two nuclei).

capillitium mass of sterile threadlike fibres among the spores in the Gasteromycetes which may aid spore dispersal.

capitate with a round head.

cartilaginous firm but flexible, as opposed to granular.

cheilocystidia a type of →cystidia on the gill edge.

clavate club-like, e.g., Club Foot (Ampulloclitocybe clavipes).

concolorous being of the same colour.

coralloid much-branched, coral-like.

cortina means curtain, and refers to an ephemeral →partial veil that covers the gills of e.g., the webcaps (Cortinarius s.l.), some of the fibrecaps (Inocybe s.l.), etc.

cuticle the surface tissue layer of the cap or stalk.

cystidium [singular] or cystidia [plural] are special sterile cells amongst the basidia of some species. Their presence and absence is an important ID feature.

daedaleoid or labyrinthoid. The term is originated of the name of the former genus: Daedalea.

decurrent (gill attachment) means ‘to run down’ and used when the gills are running down to the stem.

decurrent tooth (of gill) where only the narrow end portion of the gill runs down the stem.

dendroid tree-like.

dextrinoid (spores) means ‘dextrin-like’ and used to describe spores that stain reddish brown (sometimes referred as chestnut brown) in response to Melzer’s reagent (one of the Iodine containing reagents used in mycology), same as dextrins (a group of low molecular weight carbohydrates, most of them give red colouration in presence of Iodine) do.

dichotomously (branched) branching repeatedly in two.

division or Phylum [singular] or Phyla [plural] (taxonomic rank) higher than →class, lower than →kingdom.

domain or Dominion, sometimes called as Regio, (taxonomic rank) refers to the highest taxonomic rank. The three-domain system was created by Carl Woese, Otto Kandler and Mark Wheelis in 1990. The three domains are: Archea, Bacteria and Eukarya.

eccentric (of stem) off centre, not centred in the cap.

ellipsoid oval shaped.

emarginate (of gills) see sinuate.

endoperidium refers to the inner layer of a two layered →peridium.

epithet refers to the second part of the scientific name or binomial name which identifies the exact species within the →genus.

exoperidium refers to the outer layer of a two layered →peridium.

family or Familia (taxonomic rank) higher than →genus, lower than →order.

fibril a small fibre.

fibrillose covered with small fibres.

flexuose, flexuous: undulating.

floccose cottony, covered with cottony tufts.

floccule a small, loosely aggregated bit of material (e.g., on the stem of Leccinum species).

fusiform spindle-shaped, narrowing at both ends.

Gasteromycetes Characterized by the presence of Basidia; a large, diverse group within the Basidiomycetes characterised by the →basidiospores maturing within the fruit body; includes puff-balls, earth stars, stinkhorns and birds-nest fungi.

genus [singular] or genera [plural] (taxonomic rank) higher than →species, lower than →family.

glabrous (describing a surface) bald.

gleba means ‘clod’ or a ‘lump of earth’, and refers to the spore-bearing (mostly inner) mass of gasteroid fungi, e.g., Puffballs, Earthstars, Truffles, and False Truffles, etc. In some cases, like in case of stinkhorns and its relatives, the gleba is a sticky-smelly outer mass, not an inside mass.

granulate covered with tiny particles.

guttation secreting sticky droplets without any sort of cell damage.

hyaline means ‘clear’ or colourless and refers to spores without any colour if observed under microscope.

hydnoid means ‘Hydnum-like’, where Hydnum refers to the genus of Hedgehog fungi (Hydnum spp.). All hydnoid fungi have pendant, tooth-like or spine-like →hymenophores, but not all hydnoid species are closely related.

hygrophanous translucent in appearance when wet, paler and more opaque when dry.

hymenium means membrane, and refers to the fertile, spore-bearing tissue layer of a fruit body that covers the →hymenophore.

hymenophore refers to the hymenium-bearing structure of a fruit body and can be smooth, lamellate, poroid, →hydnoid, etc.

hypha [singular] or hyphae [plural] refers to a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus which forms the mycelium.

hypogeous as an adjective means the species produces its fruit bodies under the surface of the soil, e.g., Truffles (Tuber spp.), False Truffles (Rhizopogon spp.), Desert Truffles (Terfezia spp.), etc.

immarginate without a distinct edge.

inamyloid or non-amyloid (spores) don’t change their colour in the presence of Iodine (because their cell wall doesn’t contain starch).

incertae sedis means ‘uncertain placement’ and used when the exact classification of a certain →species, →family, or →order, etc. of fungi is yet to be clear (a subject of further studies or debates)

infundibuliform funnel-shaped.

innate inseparable, bedded in.

kingdom or Regnum (taxonomic rank) higher than →division, lower than →domain.

lamella [singular] or lamellae [plural] means ‘thin plate(s)’ and refers to a single gill or gills of an →agaric mushroom.

lanceolate elongate and tapering towards both ends.

latex a milk-like liquid that can be seen when a fruit body of a Milkcap (Lactarius spp., Lactifluus spp.) had been cut or suffered some other kind of damage. Its colour (when appeared and after a few (5–10) minutes), smell/odour and taste are all important to determine a milkcap to species-level.

marginate (bulb) having a well-defined edge, e.g. Cortinarius (Phlegmacium) amoenolens.

mycelium [singular] or mycelia [plural] is a mass of →hyphae, and the vegetative form of a fungal species which colonises the substrate and forms fruit bodies.

mycorrhiza [singular] or mycorrhizae [plural] is a symbiotic association between a fungus and a plant. It has two main types: ectomycorrhiza (when the fungal →hyphae do not penetrate the cells of their plant partner’s roots) and endomycorrhiza (when fungal →hyphae penetrate the cell wall of the roots of their plant partner).

order or Ordo (taxonomic rank) higher than →family, lower than →class.

ozonium or aerial mycelium is a unique feature of the Firerug Inkcap (Coprinellus domesticus) and other species within Coprinellus sect. Domestici. It is a carpet-like, visible structure of mycelial mass that produces the fruit bodies of the above-mentioned species.

palmate having lobes radiating from a central point, like fingers on a hand.

papillate having a small, nipple-like protuberance.

partial veil is a membranous tissue that covers the gills of →agaric fungi. It might be ephemeral (see →cortina), or permanent (see →annulus).

patches refer to bigger remnants of the →universal veil on the cap. The best example is probably the chestnut brown patches on the cap of Snakeskin Grisette (Amanita ceciliae). Be aware that these patches can be washed off by heavy rain!

pellicle a detachable skin-like cuticle;

peridiolum [singular] or peridiola [plural] are disc- or lentil-shaped spore containing capsules or peridioles. Bird’s Nest fungi (Cyathus spp., and Crucibulum crucibuliforme) have their peridioles free within their cup, same as Nidularia spp. and Mycocalia spp., while dyeball (Pisolithus arrhizus) have them attached within its fruit body (but in this case these peridioles rather should be called pseudoperidioles).

peridium means ‘wallet’ and refers to the outer wall or “skin” of a gasteroid fungus.

peristome refers to a round mouth that opens at the top of some puffballs and earthstars to release their spores.

perithecium [singular] or perithecia [plural] is a round or flask-shaped chamber with an open end containing →asci.

pileate as an adjective refers to any fungal species which forms a cap or pileus.

pileus [singular] or pilei [plural] means ‘cap’ and refers to the umbrella-shaped cap of a fruit body.

pore (of polypores) the mouth of a tube.

pruinose having a flour-like dusting.

punctate minutely dotted or pitted.

pyriform pear-shaped

reflexed turned sharply back or up.

resupinate as an adjective refers to any fungal species which doesn’t form a cap but laying down/over the substrate and showing its hymenium directly to the world.

reticulum a network of raised ridges found on surface of stem or spores of some mushrooms’ rhizoid root-like structure.

rhizomorph is a root-like aggregation of →hyphae at the base of a mushroom. Probably the most well-known rhizomorphs are black bootlaces of Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea), but you can find rhizomorphs under Whitelaced Shanks (Megacollybia platyphylla), or a few different Agaricus spp.

ring remains of partial veil, only present in some →agarics (see →partial veil).

ring zone feint mark where ring has been.

saccate bag-like.

saprotrophic or decomposer means the organism feeding on already dead organic materials.

sclerotium [singular] or sclerotia [plural] 

scurfy surface covered with tiny flakes or scales.

sessile without a stem.

sinuate (of gills) = emarginated notched just before joining the stem, e.g. Poisonpie (Hebeloma crustuliniforme).

spinulose finely spiny.

spore(s) literally means ‘seed(s)’, and it is used to describe the microscopic size of reproductive units of a fungal species.

sporocarp refers to the fruit body of fungi.

squamous, squamulose: having small scales.

squamule a small scale.

stellate star-like.

stipe means stem.

striate with fine lines.

stroma [singular] or stromata [plural] a cushion-like mass of solid →mycelium, containing numerous →asci.

subfusiform almost or imperfectly spindle shaped.

subglobose almost or imperfectly spherical.

subrufescens almost or imperfectly reddish.

substrate refers to a natural environment on which the organism lives.

sulcate grooved.

tomentose covered with densely matted woolly hairs.

umbo a central hump on a cap like a shield boss.

umbonate having an →umbo.

universal veil is a membranous or mucilaginous tissue that fully covers the whole immature fruit body. When the fruit body emerges from it, some parts might remain as →warts on the cap, some as →volva under the stem base.

utriform bag or bladder-like.

velum means ‘veil’, and refers to a membranous or mucilaginous tissue that fully covers the whole immature fruit body (see →universal veil) or only the gills (see →partial veil)

ventricose  inflated or swollen.

vermiform worm-like.

verrucose with small rounded warts.

vesicle small bladder-like sac (adjective vesicular).

vinaceous wine-coloured.

volva means covering, and refers to a sac-like remnant of the universal veil that can be found at the stem base of certain species, e.g., Grisettes (Amanita sect. Vaginatae), Stubble Rosegill (Volvopluteus gloiocephalus), Silky Rosegill (Volvariella bombycina), etc.

warts refer to smaller remnants of the →universal veil on the cap. The best example is probably the white coloured warts on the red cap of Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria). Be aware that these warts can be washed off by heavy rain!

 

The structure of a scientific name
Amanita phalloides (Vaill. ex Fr.) Link 1833

Genus: Amanita [the initial is always written with Capital]
Epithet: phalloides [always written with lower case]
(First) Auctor: Vaill. = Sébastien Vaillant (French botanist, 1669–1722) who described the species as Fungus phalloides, annulatus, sordide virescens, et patulus in 1723
ex [see its meaning in the list of abbreviations]
(Sanctioning) Auctor: Fr. = Elias Magnus Fries (Swedish mycologist and botanist, 1794–1878), one of the founding fathers of modern fungal taxonomy, he described the species as Agaricus phalloides in 1821 [at that time all the gilled fungi were Agaricus]
Auctor: Link = Johann Heinrich Friedrich Link (German naturalist and botanist, 1767–1851) who settled the name as it is valid today, Amanita phalloides
The year of the valid publication in which the scientific name had been published: 1833