ABSTRACT
Two of the three basic stages in sexuality take place in the fruiting body of the Basidiomycetes. These stages are nuclear fusion (karyogamy) and the reductional nuclear division (meiosis). The fruiting body is the most conspicuous phase of a basidiomycete’s life cycle, and, in addition, it is the structure that is prized for food. For any or all of these reasons, it is not surprising that mycologists have for a long time had a great interest in the development of the fruiting body of the Basidiomycetes — a fleshy structure, which is commonly called a mushroom.
