sorus n 1: a spore-producing structure in certain lichens and fungi 2: cluster of sporangia usually on underside of a fern frond
Sorus \So"rus\, n.; pl. {Sori}. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a heap.] 1. (Bot.) One of the fruit dots, or small clusters of sporangia, on the back of the fronds of ferns. [1913 Webster] 2. (a) In parasitic fungi, any mass of spores bursting through the epidermis of a host plant. (b) In lichens, a heap of soredia on the thallus. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]