#fungus

• Bluing — The state of being blue; the appearance of a bluish tint on a surface or the act of coloring something blue. In traditional households, it refers to a coloring substance (based on ultramarine or indigo) dissolved in water and used when washing white linens to prevent yellowing, or when whitewashing house walls. In forestry and the wood industry, the term denotes a structural defect (parasitic coloration of softwood in bluish-gray shades) caused by microscopic fungi, without affecting its core mechanical strength.
• Cornflower — Current popular name for the cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), a herbaceous plant of the Asteraceae family, with bright, intense, and pure blue flowers, widespread in wheat and rye fields. Also, the term is used in medicine and biology to denote the parasitic fungus (Ceratocystis pilifera) that produces the aesthetic defect called soft wood blue stain.
• Aleurospore — An asexual vegetative spore or conidium with a thick wall, produced terminally or laterally directly on the mycelial hyphae of certain microscopic fungi. This spore type develops through the septation of a conidiogenous cell and remains closely attached to the parent hypha until the natural disintegration of the mycelium, ensuring the survival and efficient dissemination of the fungus.
• Amanita — A genus of white-spored mushrooms within the order Agaricales, which includes some of the most well-known species worldwide, comprising both high-quality edible mushrooms and highly toxic, often deadly species. In common language, the term describes specimens characterized by a volva at the base of the stalk and a membranous ring around it.
• Amphigenous — Growing, developing, or producing on both sides of a plant organ (such as leaves or stems); in mycology, it describes a type of parasitic fungus whose reproductive structures (conidia, spores) structurally appear and develop on both the upper and lower surfaces of the host plant's leaf.
• Plant smut — A popular or regional term attributed to certain fungal plant diseases, especially smut or a specific form of anthracnose, characterized by the appearance of black, necrotic, coal-like spots on leaves, stems, or fruits. This condition destroys plant tissues and can compromise agricultural crops if not treated in time with specific fungicides.
• Applanata — A specific epithet used in Latin binary nomenclature to describe a species of plant, fungus, or fossil organism that exhibits a flattened, depressed, smooth, or horizontal structure. It is most frequently encountered in mycology, defining species such as Ganoderma applanatum, a parasitic bracket fungus growing on tree trunks in flat, rigid shelves.
• Applanatum — The neuter singular form of the scientific Latin specific epithet 'applanatus', used in binary nomenclature to denote species of fungi or plants that feature a visibly flattened, horizontal, and smooth body, cap, or anatomical structure. The most well-known example is Ganoderma applanatum, a perennial wood-decay fungus commonly called the artist's bracket, which grows on deciduous tree trunks in flat shelves.
• Armillaria — A taxonomic genus of basidiomycete fungi in the Physalacriaceae family, popularly known as 'honey fungi' (e.g., Armillaria mellea), characterized by growing in dense clusters on live or decaying tree trunks. These organisms hold major ecological and forestry significance, acting structurally as destructive parasites of roots and wood (causing white rot), but are also renowned for certain highly valued edible species and the unique bioluminescent property of their mycelium.
• Aspergilloma — A pseudotumoral fungal mass, appearing as a ball or conglomerate, developed by the colonization of fungi from the Aspergillus genus (especially Aspergillus fumigatus) within a pre-existing pulmonary cavity (such as those left by tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, or air cysts). Also known as a fungus ball, it develops without invading the surrounding lung tissue, but can cause severe hemoptysis by eroding adjacent blood vessels.
• Astraeus — A titan god in Greek mythology, associated with stars, planets, and astrology, son of Crius and Eurybia, who alongside Eos (the Dawn) fathered the four main winds (Anemoi) and the wandering stars (the planets). In mycology, it denotes a genus of puffball-like fungi in the family Diplocystaceae, commonly known as earthstars, characterized by an outer layer (peridium) that bursts open at maturity into starry rays.
• Wood ear — A genus of basidiomycete fungi within the family Auriculariaceae, characterized by gelatinous, lobed fruiting bodies whose shape resembles the human ear pinna (such as Auricularia auricula-judae, popularly known as Judas's ear or wood ear, widely used in Asian cuisine).