Discomycetes is a former taxonomic

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification. The field of taxonomy, sometimes referred to as "biological taxonomy", revolves around the description and use of taxonomic units, known as taxa...

 class

Class (biology)

In biological classification, class is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, order, family, genus, and species, with class fitting between phylum and order...

 of Ascomycete fungi which contains all of the cup, sponge, brain, and some club-like fungi. It includes typical cup fungi like the scarlet elf cup

Sarcoscypha

Sarcoscypha is a genus of ascomycete fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae. Species of Sarcoscypha are present in Europe, North America and tropical Asia. They are characterised by a cup-shaped apothecium which is often brightly coloured. Some members of the family such as S. coccinea and the -...

 and the orange peel fungus, and fungi with fruiting bodies of more unusual shape, such as morels, truffles and the swamp beacon

Swamp beacon

The swamp beacon or bog beacon is the club-shaped fruiting body of the Mitrula paludosa fungus .-Habitat:...

. New taxonomic and molecular data fail to support the monophyly of the discomycetes.

• A common feature of Discomycetes are the asci
  Ascus
  An ascus is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. On average, asci normally contain eight ascospores, produced by a meiotic cell division followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or species can number one , two, four, or multiples...
  
  , which are typically produced on the surface of cup-like fruiting bodies. In most discomycetes, each ascus contains eight sexual spore
  Spore
  In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...
  
  s that are forcibly discharged into the air when mature.

• In modern classifications, the members of the obsolete class are included in Pezizomycetes
  Pezizomycetes
  Pezizomycetes are a class of fungi within the phylum Ascomycota.Pezizomycetes are apothecial fungi, meaning that their spore producing/releasing bodies are typically disk-like, bearing on their upper surfaces a layer of cylindrical spore producing cells called asci, from which the spores are...
  
  , Lecanoromycetes
  Lecanoromycetes
  Lecanoromycetes is the largest class of lichenized fungi. It belongs to the subphylum Pezizomycotina in the phylum Ascomycota. The asci of the Lecanoromycetes most often release spores by rostrate dehiscence....
  
  , Leotiomycetes
  Leotiomycetes
  The Leotiomycetes are a class of ascomycete fungi. Many of them cause serious plant diseases.-Systematics:The class Leotiomycetes contains numerous species with an anamorph placed within the fungi imperfecti , that have only recently found their place in the phylogenetic system...
  
   and Sordariomycetes
  Sordariomycetes
  The Sordariomycetes are a class of fungi in the subdivision Pezizomycotina , consisting of 15 orders, 64 families, 1119 genera, and 10564 species.Sordariomycetes generally produce their asci in perithecial fruiting bodies....
  
  .

External links

• The Discomycetes project at Harvard University
  Harvard University
  Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
  
  (mainly Pezizales)
• Synoptic keys to the inoperculate stromatic discomycetes in the Nordic countries: Sclerotiniaceae & Rutstroemiaceae