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.