Discomycetes is a former taxonomic

class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...

of Ascomycete

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

which contains all of the cup, sponge and brain fungi and some club-like fungi. It includes typical cup fungi like the scarlet elf cup and the orange peel fungus, and fungi with fruiting bodies of more unusual shape, such as

morels ''Morchella'', the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales (division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges ...

truffles A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Pe ...

and the swamp beacon. New taxonomic and molecular data fail to support the monophyly of the discomycetes. *A common feature of Discomycetes are the asci, which are typically produced on the surface of cup-like fruiting bodies. In most discomycetes, each ascus contains eight sexual spores that are forcibly discharged into the air when mature. *In modern classifications, the members of the obsolete class are included in Pezizomycetes, Lecanoromycetes,

Leotiomycetes The Leotiomycetes are a class of ascomycete fungi. Many of them cause serious plant diseases. Systematics The class Leotiomycetes contains numerous species with an anamorph placed within the ''fungi imperfecti'' (deuteromycota), that have onl ...

and

Sordariomycetes Sordariomycetes is a class of fungi in the subdivision Pezizomycotina (Ascomycota), consisting of 28 orders, 90 families, 1344 genera. Sordariomycetes is from the Latin sordes (filth) because some species grow in animal feces, though growth habi ...

References

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External links

The Discomycetes project
at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

(mainly Pezizales)
Synoptic keys to the inoperculate stromatic discomycetes in the Nordic countries: Sclerotiniaceae & Rutstroemiaceae
Ascomycota Obsolete fungus taxa