Agaric
2291514
199926252
2008-03-21T21:57:26Z
24.13.214.25
[[Image:Amanita muscaria (fly agaric).JPG|thumb|right|250px|The agaric ''Amanita muscaria'', late August, [[Norway]]]]
An '''agaric''' is a type of [[fungal]] [[fruiting body]] characterized by the presence of a [[pileus (mycology)|pileus]] that is clearly differentiated from the [[stipe (mycology)|stipe]], with [[lamellae (mycology)|lamellae]] (gills) on the underside of the pileus. "Agaric" can also refer to a [[basidiomycete]] species characterized by an agaric-type fruiting body. An archaic usage of the word agaric meant ‘tree-fungus': from Latin agaricum, however that meaning was superseded by the Linnaean interpretation in 1753 when [[Linnaeus]] used the generic name ''[[Agaricus]]'' for gilled mushrooms.
Most species of agarics are classified in the [[Agaricales]], however, this type of fruiting body is thought to have evolved several times independently, hence the [[Russulales]], [[Boletales]], [[Hymenochaetales]], and several other groups of basidiomycetes also contain agaric species. Older systems of classification place all agarics in the Agaricales, and some (mostly older) sources still use "agarics" as a common name for the Agaricales. Contemporary sources now tend to use the term '''euagarics''' when referring only to members of the Agaricales. "Agaric" is also sometimes used as a common name for members of the genus ''[[Agaricus]]'', as well as for members of other genera, for example, ''[[Amanita muscaria]]'' is sometimes called "fly agaric".
==External links==
* [http://americanmushrooms.com/agarics.htm "Gilled Mushrooms"] at AmericanMushrooms.com
* [http://www.mykoweb.com/articles/Homobasidiomycete_clades.html "Evolution & Morphology in the Homobasidiomycetes"] by Gary Lincoff & Michael Wood, ''MykoWeb.com''
[[Category:Fungal morphology and anatomy]]
[[Category:Mushroom types]]
[[es:Agárico]]
[[ku:پوهڵه کارگ]]
[[ru:Пластинчатые грибы]]