1. Spores produced by basidiomycete fungi (such as mushrooms, rusts, and smuts) on a structure called a basidium; the primary reproductive units of these fungi.
Usage: biology; mycology; plural form; singular is basidiospore

Examples

• Mushrooms release basidiospores from the gills underneath their caps.
• The basidiospores are dispersed by wind and can travel long distances.
• Under a microscope, basidiospores appear as small, often oval or round structures.
• Rust fungi produce basidiospores that infect plant leaves.
• Basidiospores germinate when they land in a suitable moist environment.