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Pileus (mycology)

 

 
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Pileus (mycology)
 
 
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The pileus is the technical name for what is commonly known as the cap of a fungal fruiting body. It is particularly characteristic of agarics, boletes, and some polypores, tooth fungi, and ascocarps. Other sporocarp types have less clear differentiation between the pileus and the rest of the fruiting body. Sporocarps with a pileus typically have some type of hymenophore
Hymenophore

A hymenophore refers to the hymenium-bearing structure of a fungi fruiting body. Hymenophores can be smooth surfaces, lamellae , folds, tubes, or teeth....
, such as lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus.

Classification
Pilei can be of various shapes: the most familiar being hemispherical or convex, with many of these becoming flat as they mature.






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The pileus is the technical name for what is commonly known as the cap of a fungal fruiting body. It is particularly characteristic of agarics, boletes, and some polypores, tooth fungi, and ascocarps. Other sporocarp types have less clear differentiation between the pileus and the rest of the fruiting body. Sporocarps with a pileus typically have some type of hymenophore
Hymenophore

A hymenophore refers to the hymenium-bearing structure of a fungi fruiting body. Hymenophores can be smooth surfaces, lamellae , folds, tubes, or teeth....
, such as lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus.

Classification


Pilei can be of various shapes: the most familiar being hemispherical or convex, with many of these becoming flat as they mature. Many well-known species have this shape, including the button mushroom
Button mushroom

Agaricus bisporus, known as table mushroom, portobello mushroom, cultivated mushroom or button mushroom, is an edible basidiomycete fungus which naturally occurs in grasslands, fields and meadows across Europe and North America, though has spread much more widely and is one of the most widely cultivated mushrooms i...
, various Amanita
Amanita

The genus Amanita contains about 600 species of agarics including some of the most toxic known mushrooms found worldwide. This genus is responsible for approximately 95% of the fatalities resulting from mushroom poisoning, with the death cap accounting for about 50% on its own....
 species and bolete
Bolete

A bolete is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus that is clearly differentiated from the stipe , with a spongy surface of pores on the underside of the pileus....
s.

Some, such as the parasol mushroom
Parasol mushroom

The parasol mushroom is a basidiomycota fungus with a large, prominent fruiting body resembling a lady's parasol. It is a fairly common species on well-drained soils....
, have distinct bosses or umbos and are described as umbonate. Many fungi, such as chanterelle
Chanterelle

Chanterelle or Golden chanterelle is probably the best known species of this genus Cantharellus. It is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel-shaped....
s have a funnel- or trumpet
Trumpet

The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest Register in the brass instrument family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC....
-shaped appearance, the pileus is termed infundibuliform.

See also

  • Lamella
  • Stipe
    Stipe (mycology)

    In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the pileus of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphae tissue....


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