Phylum Basidiomycota

The Basidiomycota are a large, diverse phylum of fungi consisting of 19 classes, 74 orders, 273 families, more than 2,400 genera, and more than 52,000 species. It is the second largest fungal phylum after the Ascomycota, because it contains about one third of all described fungal species.

The common morphological feature of all sexually reproducing species in the Basidiomycetes is the basidium, the cell that produces the sexual spore (basidiospore). Typically, basidia produce four basidiospores externally.

Within Basidiomycota, three classes are notable for containing fungi that are forest pathogens or wood decay species, as described in this database: Agaricomycetes (e.g., mushrooms and bracket fungi), Dacrymycetes (jelly fungi), and Pucciniomycetes (rust fungi).