Nidularia

Nidularia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Basidiomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Nidulariaceae
Genus:	Nidularia Fr.
Type species
Nidularia farcta (Roth) Fr. (1823)

Nidularia is a genus of fungi in the family Nidulariaceae. Like other members of the Nidulariaceae, their fruiting bodies resemble tiny egg-filled bird nests. Indeed, the name comes from the Latin nidus meaning nest.

Description

Fruiting bodies of species in this genus grow together in large groups, and have dimensions that are typically 0.5–6 mm in diameter x 0.5–3 mm tall. They may be somewhat irregular in shape, or have a well-formed cup that is thin and fragile. The peridium has a tomentose surface composed of irregular, spiny hyphae over a more compact wall that later breaks down to expose several brown peridioles within. Unlike other genera of the family Nidulariaceae, the peridioles of the Nidularia are not connected to the fruiting body by a funicular cord, but rather lay clumped together in a gelatinous matrix. Spores are roughly elliptical in shape, hyaline, and with dimensions of 5–10.5 x 4–5.5 µm.^[1]

External links

• Index Fungorum

References

1. ^ Miller, Hope Ridings; Miller, Orson K. (1988). Gasteromycetes: Morphological and Developmental Features, with Keys to the Orders, Families, and Genera. Eureka, Calif: Mad River Press. p. 71. ISBN 0-916422-74-7.