3. Introduction
A vast group-2,720 genera and 28,650 species.
This includes the members with cup-shaped/
saucer-shaped, some are club-shaped,
mushroom-like, sponge-like etc..
These produce fructification called
Apothecium, is the main feature of
identification. Discomycetes are Ascomycetes with
apothecium.
4. Habitat
Most of the members are saprobes in nature
but few are parasites, cause serious
diseases of economic plants. Some are
coprophillus and also constitute lichens.
For instance., Sclerotinia fruticola- Brown rot
in pear
Quercus -Mycorrhizae
forming
6. Ainsworth divided Discomycetes into 6
orders viz.,
• Pezizales
• Tuberales
• Rhytismatales
• Ostropales
• Helitiales
• Cyttariales
Each order contains some families and few
genus
7. Pezizales
• Largest of operculate Discomycetes usually
saprobes on soil, dead wood, plant debris/
humus
• Apothecia may be fleshy/ brittle/ leathery
/ rarely gelatinous
• The asci are arranged in a distinct
hymenium with paraphyses
• Edible- Morchella esculenta
9. Tuberales
• Commonly called Truffles
• Used as food, in liquor making, for scenting
tobacco, in perfumes etc
• The ascomata remains closed and are fleshy
to leathery/ globose with a hymenium
• Mycorrhizae- Quercus
11. Rhytismatales(Phacidiales)
• Saprobes/ plant
parasites on leaves and
wood
• Produce characteristic
apothecoid ascocarps
immersed in a stroma/
host tissue
• Asci are inoperculate
and apically thick Rhytisma
12. Ostropales
• Saprobes / parasites of herbaceous/ woody
stem
• Crustose lichen formation
• Asci- long and cylindrical
• Young ascal apex, thick, traversed by a pore
through which ascospores are discharged
14. Helotiales
• Inoperculate forms
• Saprobes on soil, dead wood, dung and
parasites that cause plant diseases
(Sclerotinia spp.)
• Ascocarps may be superficial or immersed
in substratum
15. Cyttariales
• Large ascomata-spherical
to pyriform
• Asci are operculate
• Cushion of epiplasm
remains between
ascospores
CYTTARIA ESPINOSAE
16. Apothecium
• It is divided into 3 anatomical regions
- Hymenium
- Subhymenium
- Excipulum
• Hymenium is made of cylindrical/ club-shaped
asci and paraphyses in a palisade
layer
• Subhymenium is a zone of tissue that give
give rise to asci and paraphyses
• Excipulum- 2 parts- ectal and medullary
19. Conclusion
The members commonly produce asci within
apothecium, may be operculate/
inoperculate. Morchellaceae under Pezizales
has the members like mushrooms, which
resemble the mushrooms.
20. Reference
• R.S. MEHROTRA & K.R. ANEJA (2010)
AN INTRODUCTION TO MYCOLOGY
Pg no. 363-389
New Age International (p) Ltd., Publishers
• JOHN WEBSTER, 1970,
Introduction to fungi, pg no. 246-272.
Cambridge university press
•http://www.symbiology.com/pdf/Gargas7
.pdf
