Ascocarp

The fruiting body of an ascomycete, containing millions of asci, each of which contains eight ascospores. Ascocarps are most commonly bowl-shaped, but may take on a number of different designs.

There are three shapes of ascocarps: cleistothecium (spherical), apothecium, (cup-shaped) and perithecium (slightly open at one end, like a flask or jug). Cleistothecia and perithecia are small - about the size of flecks of ground pepper. Apothecium can be relatively large and fleshy. The morel, an edible fungus favored by gourmets, is a mass of apothecia fused together in a single growth.