Scarlet Cup

Sarcoscypha should always be checked microscopically, but here's some stuff I've wrote about this genus and two species in specific (this was posted on one of the Facebook id forums).

With experience you can tell S. austriaca and S. coccinea apart quite well. S. austriaca is much sturdier and has a sterile outside that becomes pale very quickly when young, while S. coccinea is much more brittle, thinner and has a darker (red) outside. Also S. austriaca more often has a pseudostipe and grows in bigger groups on thicker branches to even logs of Salix, Alnus, Acer and Robinia, while S. coccinea is more cuplike without a pseudostipe, grows with fewer specimen and is often found on small twigs and thin branches of Fagus, Carpinus, Corylus, Fraxinus and Rosaceae.
To be sure, you have to check spores and cystidia of the cup edge, but for the well trained eye it is often quite easy.
Here's some info on the European and North American species of Sarcoscypha by Baral:
http://www.gbif-mycology.de/HostedSites/...

That's cool. Thanks for sharing :)

I didn't know the cup fungus existed outside of the tropical climes. Thanks for posting!

Thanks António, the red seemed very vibrant with this specimen.

Just beautiful Logan,super,congrats and thanks for sharing

Thanks everyone, it was a cool find on a cold morning hike.

Excellent :)

WOW!

Awesome!