The plural form of epithecia, referring to multiple small cup-like fruiting structures found in some lichens and fungi.
Latin plural of epithecia, from Greek epi- (upon) + theke (cup, case). In lichenology, these structures are the visible fruiting bodies on the lichen surface.
Lichens are so weird and wonderful—those tiny cup-shaped structures called epithecia are where they make spores to spread around, and they're how lichenologists can identify different species just by looking at them under a magnifying glass.
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