Apothecium

An apothecium is an open fungal fruiting body whose asci line an exposed surface, often forming a cup or disc. It is characteristic of many lichens and ascomycete fungi.

Ascus: A microscopic sac in which ascomycete fungi produce ascospores. Apothecia bear asci across their exposed fertile surface.
Ascomycota: A fungal phylum whose members produce sexual spores in asci. Apothecia are one of the main fruiting-body forms among its members.
Perithecium: A flask-shaped ascomycete fruiting body with asci enclosed inside a cavity that opens through a pore. Its asci occupy an enclosed chamber rather than an open disc.
Lichenology: The study of lichens, organisms formed by a fungus living with a photosynthetic partner. Lichenologists use apothecia to examine lichen reproduction and classification.
Hymenium: A fertile layer of fungi containing spore-producing cells and associated sterile cells. The apothecium’s exposed asci are arranged within this surface layer.
Ascocarp: The sexual fruiting body of an ascomycete fungus, containing or bearing asci. An apothecium is an open type of ascocarp.
Cleistothecium: A closed, usually spherical ascomycete fruiting body that releases spores when its wall breaks down or ruptures. It keeps asci enclosed instead of presenting them on an exposed surface.
Fungal taxonomy: The classification and naming of fungi using evolutionary, morphological, and molecular evidence. Apothecial shape and microscopic anatomy provide taxonomic characters.
Ascospores: Sexual spores produced inside asci by fungi in the phylum Ascomycota. They are discharged from asci lining the apothecium.
Ascoma: A fruiting body in which an ascomycete fungus produces asci and ascospores. Apothecium is a specific form of ascoma.

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