noun
- Plural of apothecium; cup-shaped or disk-shaped fruiting bodies of lichens and some fungi that contain asci (spore-producing structures).
Usage: technical; biology; mycology
Examples
- The lichen's surface was dotted with small apotheces that released spores into the air.
- Under the microscope, the apotheces revealed the intricate arrangement of asci within the fruiting body.
- Lichenologists examine apotheces to identify and classify different lichen species.
- The red apotheces of the lichen contrasted sharply with its gray thallus.