Fungaceae

Fungaceae is a family name that has appeared in various historical classifications of fungi. In several older systems, Fungaceae was used to group a broad array of basidiomycete mushrooms, particularly agaricoid forms with gilled hymenia. Over time, the circumscription of Fungaceae proved inconsistent, and molecular research revealed that the grouping was not monophyletic. Consequently, many genera once placed in Fungaceae have been reassigned to other families within the order Agaricales, and in modern references the name Fungaceae is often treated as deprecated or obsolete. Today, Fungaceae is not recognized as a valid, universally accepted family in current fungal taxonomy.

Morphology and ecology: When Fungaceae was applied, the members were described as producing macroscopic basidiocarps with typical mushroom-like morphology—cap, gill-bearing hymenium, and a stalk. Ecologically, they were commonly regarded as saprotrophs that decompose leaf litter, wood, and other organic material, though the broader group in historical classifications could include diverse lifestyles. They are found in a variety of habitats worldwide, from forests to grasslands, reflecting the wide ecological range of many Agaricales relatives.

Significance: The term Fungaceae holds value primarily for historical and bibliographic contexts. Modern fungal systematics relies on phylogenetic data to classify species into well-defined families within the class Agaricomycetes, rather than using this obsolete family name.