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CHARACTERISTICS OF FUNGI: HYPHAE

HYPHAE (singular = HYPHA) are the threadlike structures that comprise the major body of a fungus. You can think of a hypha as a long tube. Many hyphae in a mass are called MYCELIUM (plural = MYCELIA).

Most fungi produce hyphae, as the one shown here, that have CROSS WALLS (partitions dividing the tubes into individual cells). Noting the presence or absence of cross walls can be important in distinguishing and identifying some plant pathogenic fungi.

The location of the cross walls can also be diagnostic. In this example the cross walls at a branch in the hyphae are offset a bit (see the arrow) giving the resulting cell a T-shape. This configuration of cross walls is characteristic of the fungus Rhizoctonia, which is a common root rot fungus.