A cup-shaped structure on plants infected with rust fungus that produces spores capable of spreading the disease to other plants.
From Greek 'aikia' meaning 'injury' or 'damage', reflecting how this structure causes harm to plants. The term has been used in mycology since the 1800s when scientists first observed these distinctive fungal fruiting bodies.
Aecia are like tiny biological catapults—they launch spores with such force that they can travel miles on the wind! Ancient farmers had no idea these microscopic cups were the culprits behind their crop failures.
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