Mycelium

mycelium

Mass of branched, tubular filaments (hyphae) of fungi (see fungus) that penetrate soil, wood, and other organic matter. The mycelium makes up the thallus (undifferentiated body) of a typical fungus. The mass may be microscopic in size or developed into visible structures, such as brackets, mushrooms, puffballs, or truffles. The mycelium produces spores, directly or through special fruiting bodies.

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mycelium

the vegetative body of fungi: a mass of branching filaments (hyphae) that spread throughout the nutrient substratum

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mycelium [mī′sē·lē·əm]

(biology)

A mass of filaments, or hyphae, composing the vegetative body of many fungi and some bacteria.

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Mycelium 

the vegetative body of a fungus; it consists of fine (1.5–10 microns in diameter), branched filaments (hyphae). It develops within a substrate or, less frequently, on its surface. The mycelium may be noncellular (Phycomycetes) or multicellular (Ascomycetes, Basidiomycetes, and Fungi Imperfecti). The mycelium cells of Phycomycetes, Ascomycetes, and Fungi Imperfecti are always haploid. In Basidiomycetes the primary mycelium that develops from spores is haploid; further in its development it becomes diploid owing to its merging with the mycelium of the other sex (heterothallism) or the convergence of the nuclei in the anastomosing cells (homothallism). Vegetative reproduction of fungi is accomplished by fragments of the mycelium.