In
fungi, a
basidiocarp,
basidiome or
basidioma (plural:
basidiomata) is the
sporocarp of a
basidiomycete, the
multicellular structure on which the
spore-producing
hymenium is borne. Basidiocarps are characteristic of the
hymenomycetes;
rusts and
smuts do not produce such structures. As with other sporocarps, epigeous (above-ground) basidiocarps that are visible to the naked eye (especially those with a more or less
agaricoid morphology) are commonly referred to as
mushrooms, while hypogeous (underground) basidiocarps are usually called
false truffles.
