apothecium

American  

[ap-uh-thee-shee-uhm, -see-] / ˌæp əˈθi ʃi əm, -si- /

noun

Botany, Mycology.

plural

apothecia

1. the fruit of certain lichens and fungi: usually an open, saucer-shaped or cup-shaped body, the inner surface of which is covered with a layer that bears asci.

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apothecium British  

/ ˌæpəˈθiːsɪəl, ˌæpəˈθiːsɪəm /

noun

1. botany a cup-shaped structure that contains the asci, esp in lichens; a type of ascocarp

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apothecium Scientific  

/ ăp′ə-thē′sē-əm,-shē- /

plural

apothecia

1. A disk-shaped or cup-shaped ascocarp of some lichens and the fungi Ascomycetes.

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Other Word Forms

• apothecial adjective

Etymology

Origin of apothecium

1820–30; < New Latin < Greek apo- apo- + thēkíon, equivalent to thḗk ( ē ) case ( theca ) + -ion diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

In the Helvellaceae there is no apothecium but a large irregular fruit body which at maturity bears the asci on its surface.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

Thē′cium, the part of the apothecium containing the organs of the fruit in lichens.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

B. simplex The disk of the apothecium white-pruinose 2.

From Ohio Biological Survey, Bull. 10, Vol. 11, No. 6 The Ascomycetes of Ohio IV and V by Hilker, Leafy Jane Corrington

Various types of ascocarp are characteristic of the different divisions of the Carpoascomycetes: the cleistothecium, apothecium and perithecium.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 3 "Frost" to "Fyzabad" by Various

These asci are variously shaped bodies and are known in different orders by different names, such as ascoma, apothecium, perithecium, and receptacle.

From The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise Its Habitat and its Time of Growth by Hard, Miron Elisha