Fungus

Fungi is one of the five kingdoms in Linnaean Taxonomy. It contains the Phyla :

• Phylum Chytridiomycota? - of definite relationship to the fungi, but often placed among the Protista.
• Phylum Zygomycota?
• Phylum Ascomycota?
• Phylum Basidiomycota?
• Phylum Deuteromycota?: fungi of uncertain placement, grouped for convenience

Lichen?s are a long-standing symbiotic relationship, formed between a fungus and a green alga or a cyanobacterium. Lichens are named based on the fungal component, typically a member of the Ascomycota, rarely a member of the Basidiomycota. Some place lichens in their own phylum (Mycophycophyta?) but this ignores the fact that the components belong in separate lineages.