Order: Hypocreales

This order is recognized by its brightly coloured, simple or compound, perithecial ascomata -- usually yellow, orange or red -- which are fleshy or waxy in texture.

Family: Clavicipitaceae

Clavicipes purpurea (The cause of ergot of rye)

obligately parasitic fungi in wich discharges  its ascospores when its main host, rye, is in flower, The ovarian tissues are replaced by a mycelial mat that produces masses of conidia in a sweet-smelling nectar. The mycelial mat hardens and becomes a purplish sclerotium (the ergot )which replaces the grain .These sclerotia fall to the ground in Autumn, and germinate the following Spring, each producing several stalked stromata .  Each stroma has a spherical head within which many Perithecia develop around the periphery just below the surface.

Perithecia have long asci without apical rings, but with thickened tips  and  long, thread-like ascospores . If the sclerotia are accidentally consumed by cattle, or if rye bread made from ergoty rye is eaten by humans, a large number of alkaloids found in the ergot cause a form of poisoning known as Ergotism.

Class: Discomycetes

Known as 'cup-fungi' producing apothecial ascomata. found growing  saprophytically on wood, dung or dead tree leaves among which they grow on the forest floor, several are pathogen for plant. Fruiting bodies are open and bear their asci on the surface or in large, open cavities. The branched, septate mycelium is in the soil while the ascpcarp, is formed above ground except on truffles, which have underground ascocarp (Hypogean).

 Discomycetes which form their ascocarp above ground (Epigean) classified into two large group based on their method of releasing spore from the asci: the  operculate and inoperculate Discomycetes.

Operculate Discomycetes

Order: Pezizales

Are the large order of operculate Discomycetes, some have large fruiting bodies 4 or 5 inch in diameter others have minute ascocarps less than a millimeter, most Pezizales are saprobic, living on dead wood, soil or humus.

Family Pezizaceae

 Classic 'cup-fungi' producing apothecial ascomata that are usually shaped more like saucers or goblets, usually without stalks, Larger species of Peziza, producing thin, rather brittle apothecial ascomata several centimeters across, with light brown or orange hymenia.

Family: Ascobolaceae

Ascobolus sp.

fungal appearing on horse dung produce minute, translucent apothecia.The dark dots are mature asci, which are broad, and project from the hymenium when mature, so that their tips may become oriented toward the light. The 8 ascospores have a purple or brown outer wall layer. Ascobolus  like most other ascomycetes, shoots ascospores individually.

Family: Morchellaceae

Morchella sp.

is one of the finest of all edible fungi.  Species of Morchella have a broad, hollow stalk, and a pitted and ridged, sponge-like, more or less conical or ellipsoidal head. Since the hymenium doesn't cover the ridges, it seems likely that a morel is a compound ascoma, each pit representing an individual apothecium.