sorilike

Sorilike is an adjective used in botany and mycology to describe structures, markings, or patterns that resemble sori, the clustered spore-producing organs commonly found on the fronds of ferns and related plants. The term is descriptive and non-taxonomic; it signals morphological similarity rather than implying a shared ancestry with true sori.

From sorus, the technical term for a fern sporangium cluster, plus the suffix -like. It appears in botanical and mycological literature to distinguish equivalent-looking features in non-fern taxa or in non-fern contexts.

Used when describing features in a wide range of organisms, including seed plants with sporangiophores, fungi with localized spore-bearing patches, and lichens with pseudo-sori. It helps communicate that the structure's appearance may be confusing in identification with true sori.

Sorilike structures may be discrete patches, rings, or irregular clusters; they may be exposed or partly covered by membranes akin to indusia; their arrangement can be linear, scattered, or pseudo-sorus on leaf surfaces; color and size vary.

Important to consider: sorilike does not denote homology; further examination of tissue type, sporangium features, indusia, and reproduction is needed to determine identity.

See also: sori, indusium, false sori, sporangium