Plural of cystidium; club-shaped or sterile cells found in the fruiting bodies of fungi, particularly mushrooms.
Plural of cystidium, from Greek 'kystis' (cyst/bladder) + diminutive '-idium'. These structures were named for their cyst-like or hollow appearance.
Under a mushroom's cap, cystidea stand among the spore-producing cells like tiny bodyguards—they don't make spores but help protect the ones that do!
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