basidium

American  

[buh-sid-ee-uhm] / bəˈsɪd i əm /

noun

Mycology.

• basidia
  plural

1. a special form of sporophore, characteristic of basidiomycetous fungi, on which the sexual spores are borne, usually at the tips of slender projections.

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basidium British  

/ bæˈsɪdɪəm /

noun

1. the structure, produced by basidiomycetous fungi after sexual reproduction, in which spores are formed at the tips of projecting slender stalks

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basidium Scientific  

/ bə-sĭd′ē-əm /

• basidia
  plural

1. A small, specialized, club-shaped structure typically bearing four basidiospores at the tips of minute projections in the fungi known as basidiomycetes. The basidium is unique to basidiomycetes and distinguishes them from other kinds of fungi.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• basidial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• basidia
  plural

Etymology

Origin of basidium

First recorded in 1855–60; bas(is) + -idium

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

basidium basidia

A basidium is the fruiting body of a mushroom-producing fungus, and it forms four basidiocarps.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Each projection or sterigma soon swells at its extremity into a bladder-like body, the young spore, and, as they enlarge, the protoplasm of the basidium is passed into them.

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

Between the nuclear association and the nuclear fusion in the basidium many thousands of cell generations may be intercalated.

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

Basidiales.—This very large group of plants is characterized by the possession of a special type of conidiophore—the basidium, which gives its name to the group.

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

P. Petersii has a transversely divided basidium as in Auriculariaceae, but the basidia are surrounded with a peridium-like sheath.

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

The “gills” are actually compacted hyphae on which the basidia are borne.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Gills on the underside of the mushroom cap contain cells called basidia.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

The basidiocarp bears the developing basidia on the gills under its cap.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

The basidia undergo karyogamy to form a 2n zygote.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

Upon each of these basidia are in some species two, usually four, slender projections upon which the spores are produced.

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