Discomycetes is a former taxonomicclassofAscomycetefungi which contains all of the cup, sponge and brain fungi, and some club-like fungi.[1][2] 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, truffles and the swamp beacon. New taxonomic and molecular data fail to support the monophyly of the Discomycetes.
Discomycetes are usually small and cup shaped, and come in singular form.
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.
^Pfister, Donald H.; Kimbrough, James W. (2001), McLaughlin, David J.; McLaughlin, Esther G.; Lemke, Paul A. (eds.), "Discomycetes", Systematics and Evolution: Part A, The Mycota, Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, pp. 257–281, doi:10.1007/978-3-662-10376-0_12, ISBN978-3-662-10376-0, retrieved 2023-05-20
