Smut (fungus)
Reproductive structure of fungi
The smuts are multicellular fungi characterized by their large numbers of teliospores. The smuts get their name from a Germanic word for 'dirt' because of their dark, thick-walled, and dust-like teliospores. They are mostly Ustilaginomycetes (phylum Basidiomycota) and comprise seven of the 15 orders of the subphylum. Most described smuts belong...