Ergot, er'got, a kind of fungus that devours and finally replaces the seeds of rye and other plants. Like other fungi, ergot is propagated by means of spores carried by the winds or by insects. It is thought that the sap of a plant may carry spores upward from the earth to the young seed where they lodge and multiply. A head of rye affected with ergot turns brown, then black as the growth matures. Grasses related to rye are particularly subject to attack. Ergot is allied to corn smut and other fungi that grow in starchy grains. Cattle eating ergotty rye are likely to be poisoned. The natives of Russia, where rye is the chief food, are sometimes poisoned by rye ergot. The fungus produces a strong oil, not well understood, except that it has a powerful medicinal effect. Taken as a remedy it causes the heart and other involuntary muscles to contract with sudden spasms. The ordinary ergot of the drugstore consists of grain-like purple masses, from one-half to three-fourths of an inch in length, not unlike large grains of rye in shape. It is obtained chiefly from Russia and Spain. See FUNGUS.