BASIDIOCARP

in fungi, a large sporophore, or fruiting body, in which sexually produced spores are formed on the surface of club-shaped structures (basidia). Basidiocarps are found among the members of the class Basidiomycetes (q.v.), with the exception of the rust and smut fungi. The largest basidiocarps include giant puffballs (Calvatia gigantea), which can be 1.6 m (5.25 feet) long, 1.35 m broad, and 24 cm (9.5 inches) high, and those of bracket fungi (Polyporus squamosus)2 m in diameter. The smallest are single cells of the yeastlike Sporobolmyces.