The
gasteroid fungi are a group of
fungi in the
Basidiomycota. Species were formerly placed in the obsolete
class Gasteromycetes Fr. (literally "stomach fungi"), or the equally obsolete
order Gasteromycetales
Rea, because they produce their
spores inside their
basidiocarps (fruit bodies) rather than on an outer surface. The class is artificial, however, since species—which include
puffballs,
earthstars,
stinkhorns, and
false truffles—are not closely related to each other. Because they are often studied as a group, it has been convenient to retain the informal (non-
taxonomic) name of "gasteroid fungi".
