basidiocarp, also called basidioma, in fungi, a large sporophore, or fruiting body, in which sexually produced spores are formed on the surface of club-shaped structures (basidia). Basidiocarps are found among the members of the phylum Basidiomycota (q.v.), with the exception of the rust and smut fungi.

Where do basidiospores form?

Basidiospores are formed on sterigma on each cell of the basidium. The spores are actively discharged a few centimeters from the sterigma at maturity (Buller, 1958). Basidiospores are small, 7.6 × 6 μm (D. L. Long, personal communication), hyaline, and oval-shaped.

Is a mushroom a basidiocarp?

As with other sporocarps, epigeous (above-ground) basidiocarps that are visible to the naked eye (especially those with a more or less agaricoid morphology) are commonly referred to as mushrooms, while hypogeous (underground) basidiocarps are usually called false truffles.