Scutellinia scutellata

31 May 2008 Hampshire. Photograph copyright Leif Goodwin

Species

Common Name

Eye-lash fungus

Fruiting Body

Disc shaped, upper surface smooth, bright scarlet, with short black hairs at the margin, hence the common name, to about 1cm across

Flesh

Red, firm

Smell

Indistinct

Taste

Unknown

Season

Spring to Autumn

Distribution

Common

Habitat

On damp rotten wood, organic debris and soil

Microscopic Features

Spores ellipsoidal, warty/roughened, with oil drops (17-20) x (11-12) µm². Paraphyses septate, cylindrical, club shaped at the tips.

Edibility

Inedible

Notes

This species cannot be distinguished from several similar species without the use of a microscope