name often given to a subgroup of fungi consisting of more than 700 species in the phylum Basidiomycota (kingdom Fungi). Their spores, called ... Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/g/12
Gas`te·ro·my·ce'tes noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek ... stomach + ... a mushroom.] (Botany) An order of fungi, in which the spores are borne inside a sac called the peridium, as in the puffballs. Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/G/12