Hymenium

The hymenium is the layer of tissue on the hymenophore of the part of a fungus that fruits. It is where cells grow into basidium or asci, which make spores.

Where the hymenium is found is traditionally the first thing used to identify mushrooms or to group mushrooms into families. Below are some examples of where to find the hymenium in different types of Basidiomycota and Ascomycota.

• In agarics, the hymenium is on the flat sides of the gills.
• In boletes, it is in a spongy mass of tubes that point down.
• In puffballs, it is on the inside.
• In stinkhorns, it grows on the inside and then comes out as a bad-smelling gel.
• In cup fungi, it is on the inner surface of the cup.
• In teeth fungi, it grows on the outside of tooth-like spines.

Gallery

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  Gills of the Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria

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  The bolete Slippery Jack (Suillus luteus) with bright yellow pores

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  Giant Puffball Calvatia gigantea

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  A Stinkhorn, Phallus impudicus

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  The cup fungus Sarcoscypha austriaca

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  The large angular pores of Polyporus alveolaris, the hexagonal-pored polypore

References

• Régis Courtecuisse, Bernard Duhem : Guide des champignons de France et d'Europe (Delachaux & Niestlé, 1994–2000). ISBN 2-603-00953-2

Other websites

• IMA Mycological Glossary: Hymenium
• IMA Mycological Glossary: Subhymenium
• APSnet Illustrated Glossary of Plant Pathology: Hymenium Archived 2006-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Hymenium of an ascomycete, Monilinia fructicola
• Jack Murphy Mycological Images: Hymenium Archived 2007-03-20 at the Wayback Machine Hymenium of a basidiomycete, Russula laurocerasi