mycocarp

Mycocarp is the reproductive, fruiting body of a fungus. In general usage it designates the visible structure that emerges from the mycelium and contains the sexual spores. Depending on taxonomy, mycocarps can be called sporocarps or simply fruiting bodies.

The term derives from Greek mykes, meaning fungus, and karpos, meaning fruit. In modern mycology the term sporocarp is often preferred; mycocarp appears in historical literature or in broader discussions of fungal morphology.

Mycocarps range from macroscopic forms such as mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, and bracket fungi, to subterranean forms like truffles. They may arise from basidiomycetes, which produce basidiocarps, or from ascomycetes, which produce ascocarps. The inner surface, or hymenium, bears the spore-producing cells.

They develop from the mycelium when conditions favor reproduction. Their primary role is spore dispersal, enabling colonization of new substrates. Many mycocarps are saprotrophic, decomposing organic matter; others form mutualisms with plants as mycorrhizae or act as pathogens.

The morphology, ecology, and genetics of mycocarps are central to fungal taxonomy and ecology, informing classification and understanding of ecosystem roles.