basidiomycota

Basidiomycota
    n 1: comprises fungi bearing the spores on a basidium; includes
         Gasteromycetes (puffballs) and Tiliomycetes comprising the
         orders Ustilaginales (smuts) and Uredinales (rusts) and
         Hymenomycetes (mushrooms, toadstools, agarics and bracket
         fungi); in some classification systems considered a
         division of kingdom Fungi [syn: {Basidiomycota},
         {subdivision Basidiomycota}, {Basidiomycotina},
         {subdivision Basidiomycotina}]
    

Basidiomycota \Ba*sid`i*o*my*co"ta\, n. pl. (Bot.) [NL., fr. NL.
   & E. basidium + Gr. ?, ?, fungus.] (Bot.)
   A large subdivision of the kingdom Fungi coextensive with the
   phylum Basidiomycetes, characterized by having the spores
   borne on a basidium. It embraces those fungi best known to
   the public, such as mushrooms, toadstools, etc. Among the
   classes of the Basidiomycota are: Gasteromycetes (puffballs);
   Tiliomycetes (comprising the orders {Ustilaginales} (smuts)
   and {Uredinales} (rusts)); and Hymenomycetes (mushrooms;
   toadstools; agarics; bracket fungi).

   Note: In the 1913 Webster, the Basidiomycetes were defined as
         "co["o]rdinate with the Ascomycetes", and other fungal
         phyla (the Zygomycota and Deuteromycota) were not
         mentioned.

   Syn: Basidiomycota, subdivision Basidiomycota, subdivision
        Basidiomycotina.
        [Webster 1913 Suppl. +PJC]