apothecium
noun
apo·the·ci·um ˌa-pə-ˈthē-shē-əm 
-sē-
plural apothecia ˌa-pə-ˈthē-shē-ə
-sē-
: a spore-bearing structure in many lichens and fungi consisting of a discoid or cupped body bearing asci on the exposed flat or concave surface
apothecial
ˌa-pə-ˈthē-sh(ē-)əl
adjective -sē-əl
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from New Latin apothēcium, from Greek apothḗkē "storehouse, repository" + New Latin -ium -ium — more at apothecary
Note: The term was introduced by the Swedish botanist Erik Acharius (1757-1819) in Methodus qua omnes detectos lichenes (Stockholm, 1803), p. ix.
First Known Use
1805, in the meaning defined above