Cup Fungus

Description:

Fruiting Body: Cup-shaped when young, and usually remaining so in maturity; when clustered becoming pinched and contorted; 2-5 cm across; upper surface smooth, brown to grayish brown or olive brown; outer surface smooth or finely granular, pale (often contrasting with the inner surface when fresh and young), sometimes stained yellow to greenish yellow; stem absent; attached to the substrate at a central location; odor and taste not distinctive; flesh whitish to grayish, when squeezed exuding a juice that stains surfaces bright yellow to greenish yellow.

Habitat:

Ecology: Traditionally thought to be saprobic, but recent research (Tedersoo and collaborators, 2006) suggests it is mycorrhizal; growing alone, gregariously, or in small clusters on bare soil,