Caloscypha fulgens

5 March 2011 Surrey. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Fruiting Body

Cup shaped, expanding with age, inner surface smooth, orange, outer surface orange, becoming dark blue to grey with age, about 0.5 cm to 4 cm across

Flesh

Brittle, orange

Smell

Indistinct

Taste

Unknown

Season

Spring

Distribution

Very rare

Habitat

On soil and woody debris. In Surrey this species appears to favour steep sided moss covered banks at the side of roads.

Spore Print

White

Microscopic Features

Spores spherical, smooth (5-7) µm. Asci 8 spored, cylindrical, base sometimes branched. Paraphyses thin, septate, sometimes branched.

Edibility

Unknown

Notes

Although this species is very rarely recorded, I made collections at three separate sites in one weekend, suggesting that it may be far from rare

Additional Photographs

6 March 2011 Surrey. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Asci viewed with a x40 objective. 5 March 2011 Surrey. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin