A specialized club-shaped or elongated sterile cell found in the fruiting bodies of fungi, particularly in the hymenium of mushrooms.
From Greek 'kystis' (cyst/bladder) + Latin diminutive '-idium'. Named for its hollow, cyst-like appearance, these cells support spore production.
Mycologists identify mushroom species partly by counting and measuring cystidia under microscopes—it's like reading the 'fingerprint' of each fungal species!
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