The
smuts are multicellular
fungi characterized by their large numbers of
teliospores. The smuts get their name from a Germanic word for dirt because of their dark, thick-walled, and dust-like teliospores. They are mostly
Ustilaginomycetes (of the class Teliomycetae, subphylum
Basidiomycota) and can cause
plant disease. The smuts are grouped with the other
basidiomycetes because of their commonalities concerning sexual reproduction.