\Phy`co*my*ce"tes\, n. pl. [NL.; Gr. ? seaweed +
mycetes.] (Bot.)
A large, important class of parasitic or saprophytic fungi,
the algal or algalike fungi. The plant body ranges from an
undifferentiated mass of protoplasm to a well-developed and
much-branched mycelium. Reproduction is mainly sexual, by the
formation of conidia or sporangia; but the group shows every
form of transition from this method through simple
conjugation to perfect sexual reproduction by egg and sperm
in the higher forms. -- {Phy`co*my*ce"tous}, a.