Ascocarp
![Diagram of an apothecium showing sterile tissues as well as developing and mature asci](/Images/godic/202502/05/Ascocarp20555.png")
![The ascocarp of a morel contains numerous apothecia.](/Images/godic/202502/05/Smardz-Morchella-Ejdzej-20060555.jpg")
![Perithecia of Nectria](/Images/godic/202502/05/Nectria0556.jpg")
![Diagram of a pseudothecium. Eight ascospores (green) are typically present in each ascus.](/Images/godic/202502/05/Perithecium_no_text0556.PNG")
An ascocarp, or ascoma (plural: ascomata), is the fruiting body (sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and may contain millions of asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. Ascocarps are most commonly bowl-shaped (apothecia) but may take a spherical (cleistothecia) or flask-like (perithecia) form.