noun
- A flask-shaped or cup-shaped fruiting body in certain fungi (especially rust fungi) that produces spores called pycniospores.
Usage: mycology; botany; technical
Examples
- The pycnidium is an early stage in the life cycle of rust fungi.
- Pycnidia appear as small, flask-shaped structures on infected plant leaves.
- The fungus produces pycnidia before developing other reproductive structures.
- Botanists examine pycnidia under a microscope to identify rust species.