1. A fungus of the division Basidiomycota, characterized by the production of spores on a structure called a basidium; includes mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, and rusts.
Usage: technical; biology

Examples

• The mushroom you found in the forest is a basidiomycete.
• Basidiomycetes are responsible for decomposing dead wood in ecosystems.
• Unlike ascomycetes, basidiomycetes produce their spores externally on basidia.
• Many edible fungi, such as button mushrooms and oyster mushrooms, are basidiomycetes.
• Rust fungi are parasitic basidiomycetes that damage crops.