Sarah Brown
Cup fungi are a group of fungi characterised by their cup-shaped fruiting bodies, which resemble small, colourful bowls or cups. They are members of the kingdom Fungi, belonging to the order Pezizales and the phylum Ascomycota. Cup fungi are commonly found growing on decaying wood, leaf litter, or in soil, and they are known for their diverse colours and habitats. While some cup fungi are edible, many are poisonous and can even be lethally toxic. Therefore, consuming wild mushrooms is not recommended.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Group | Fungi |
| Shape | Cup, goblet, saucer, bowl, disk, vase |
| Size | Small (less than 0.5 cm), large (greater than 3 cm) |
| Habitat | Decaying wood, leaf litter, soil, dung, twigs, branches, manure, melting snow |
| Colour | Orange, red, brown, yellow |
| Spore dispersal | Raindrops, wind currents |
| Edibility | Some are edible, some are poisonous |
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What You'll Learn
Cup fungi are a type of mushroom
Cup fungi, or the Pezizaceae, are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota phylum. They are characterised by their cup-shaped fruiting bodies, which resemble small, colourful bowls or cups. They are commonly found growing on decaying wood, leaf litter, or in soil.
The cup shape serves to focus raindrops into splashing spores out of the cup. The curvature also enables wind currents to blow the spores out in a different manner than in most agarics and boletes. Cup fungi grow in peculiar shapes, frequently resembling cups or saucers. For example, the orange peel fungus (Aleuria aurantia) looks like a discarded orange rind.
Cup fungi are usually grouped together in identification keys, but the term covers a variety of different shapes. They can be flat to slightly turned up at the edges, bowl-shaped, goblet-shaped, vase-shaped, or even a bunch of cups squished together (accordion style). Despite these various morphologies, this collection of mushrooms is differentiated into at most three groups: small cup fungi, large cup fungi, and ear fungi.
Small cup fungi (with cups 0.5 cm or less) are found fruiting on decomposing wood, often in large numbers. Although the cups may be small, some species produce long stipes (up to 10 cm). An example of a small cup fungus is Microstoma floccosum. Large cup fungi (usually greater than 3 cm) are found fruiting on wood or the forest floor. They lack a stipe but are usually attached to their substrate at the centre of the cup by a short knob. Sarcoscypha austriaca is an example of a large cup fungus. Its bright red colour makes it stand out from the brown forest litter.
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They are characterised by their cup-shaped fruiting bodies
Cup fungi are characterised by their cup-shaped fruiting bodies, which are often colourful and bowl-like in appearance. They are also known as 'discomycetes' and belong to the Ascomycota phylum. These mushrooms are typically found growing on decaying wood, leaf litter, or in soil.
The cup shape of these fungi serves a specific purpose. It helps to focus raindrops, splashing spores out of the cup and enabling wind currents to blow the spores out in a different manner than in most agarics and boletes. This is why cup fungi grow in peculiar shapes, frequently resembling cups, saucers, or even orange peel!
The size of cup fungi can vary from small (0.5 cm or less) to large (usually greater than 3 cm). They are often found fruiting on decomposing wood, with some species producing long stipes of up to 10 cm. The bright red Sarcoscypha austriaca, for example, is easily spotted due to its vibrant colour, which contrasts with the brown forest litter.
Some common examples of cup fungi include the orange peel fungus (Aleuria aurantia), Chlorociboria aeruginascens, which turns decomposed wood blue, and Microstoma floccosum. Peziza, with about 50 species, produces a cup-shaped fruiting body or mushroom-like structure on rotting wood or manure during the summer.
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They are typically found growing on decaying wood, leaf litter, or soil
Cup fungi, or 'Pezizaceae', are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota phylum, which produce mushrooms that tend to grow in the shape of a cup. They are commonly found growing on decaying wood, leaf litter, or soil. The cup shape typically serves to focus raindrops into splashing spores out of the cup. In addition, the curvature enables wind currents to blow the spores out in a different manner than in most agarics and boletes.
Cup fungi grow in peculiar shapes, frequently resembling cups or saucers. For example, the orange peel fungus (Aleuria aurantia) resembles a discarded orange rind. According to one 2008 estimate, the family contains 31 genera and 230 species. The most commonly noticed larger ascomycete fruiting bodies are the ones called discomycetes, often known as cup fungi. In appearance, they look like shallow cups or fairly flattish disks.
Small cup fungi (with cups 0.5 cm or less) are found fruiting on decomposing wood, often in large numbers. Although the cups may be small, some species produce rather long stipes (up to 10cm). One example of a small cup fungus is Chlorociboria aeruginascens, which produces small, green-blue cups on well-decomposed wood. This fungus is unique in that the mycelium turns the wood blue.
Large cup fungi (usually greater than 3cm) are found fruiting on wood or the forest floor. Large cup fungi all lack a stipe but are usually attached to their substrate at the centre of the cup by a short knob. One of the easiest mushrooms to find is Sarcoscypha austriaca. Its bright red colours make it stand out from the brown forest litter. Another commonly encountered large cup is Peziza domiciliana, which, as the name suggests, likes to grow in damp places in houses.
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Cup fungi are usually members of the Ascomycota phylum
Cup fungi are typically members of the Ascomycota phylum, which is characterised by the formation of an ascus, a sac-like structure that contains haploid ascospores. The ascus is often contained in a multicellular, occasionally visible fruiting structure known as the ascocarp or ascoma.
The Pezizaceae, commonly known as cup fungi, are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota phylum that produce mushrooms that tend to grow in the shape of a cup. The cup shape helps to concentrate raindrops, splashing spores out of the cup. The curvature also allows wind currents to blow the spores out differently from most agarics and boletes. Cup fungi grow in peculiar shapes, often resembling cups or saucers. For example, the orange peel fungus (Aleuria aurantia) looks like a discarded orange rind. According to a 2008 estimate, the family contains 31 genera and 230 species.
Cup fungi are members of the Pezizales order and are typically characterised by a disk or cup-shaped structure (apothecium) bearing spore sacs (asci) on its surface. Some of the cup fungi are important plant pathogens, such as Monilinia (Sclerotinia), which causes brown rot in peach and other stone fruits. Others are saprobes, displaying small (2–5 mm or 0.08–0.2 inches), brilliant red or orange disks found on old cow dung and decaying twigs and branches. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores. Apothecia are usually open to the exterior; however, in subterranean truffles, the apothecia are completely enclosed, exposed only when the truffle is opened.
Many of the cup fungi produce ballistospores, ascospores that are forcibly shot out. Sometimes, as in Helvella and Peziza, they are discharged in such numbers that they form a cloud above the fruiting body, and innumerable tiny explosions may be heard as a hissing sound.
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Some cup fungi are edible, but many are poisonous
Cup fungi are members of a large group of fungi in the order Pezizales (phylum Ascomycota). They are typically characterised by a disk- or cup-shaped structure (apothecium) bearing spore sacs (asci) on their surface. They are commonly referred to as 'cup fungi' because they tend to grow in the shape of a cup, goblet, or saucer.
On the other hand, most species of Gyromitra, a genus of false morels, are poisonous. H. infula, which has a dull yellow to bay-brown, saddle-shaped cap, is poisonous to some people. It grows on rotten wood and rich soil from late summer to early fall. Fire fungus, which grows on burned wood or steamed soil, is also poisonous.
There are some rules of thumb to help distinguish between poisonous and edible mushrooms. For instance, if there is any red on the mushroom, including the cap, stem, or pores, it is best to treat it as poisonous. If the mushroom's flesh rapidly turns blue when cut in half, it is also likely to be poisonous. It is also important to note that some mushrooms that grow on wood, like the Funeral Bell, are deadly.
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Frequently asked questions
Cup fungi are a group of fungi characterised by their cup-shaped fruiting bodies, which resemble small, often colourful bowls or cups. They are commonly found growing on decaying wood, leaf litter, or in soil.
Cup fungi is not a scientific term, but it holds together several mushrooms that are shaped like cups, goblets, or saucers. The mushrooms in the shape of a cup are the most diverse, comprising many different genera and families in the Ascomycota phylum.
The cup shape of cup fungi serves to focus raindrops into splashing spores out of the cup. In addition, the curvature enables wind currents to blow the spores out in a different manner than in most agarics and boletes.
