noun
- A small, flask-shaped or cup-shaped fruiting body in certain fungi, especially rust fungi, that produces spores.
Usage: mycology; technical; plural: acervuli
Examples
- The acervulus is a characteristic structure found in the life cycle of rust fungi.
- Botanists examined the acervuli under the microscope to identify the fungal species.
- The acervuli produce spores that are dispersed by wind to infect new plant hosts.
- In rust fungi, the acervulus develops within the host plant tissue.