scarlet cup fungus

Description:

One of the first signs of spring in our area, fungus-wise, is the appearance of the scarlet cup fungus Sarcoscypha coccinea. It is most commonly found in maple woods, but sometimes in other woods. It is generally 3-5 cm (1-2 inches) across and can be seen from quite a distance because it's often the only bright thing around! Sarcoscypha coccinea is one of many member of the Ascomycota that fruit in the spring of the year. Ascomycota are easily distinguished microscopically from other fungi by the presence of asci containing ascospores on the upper surface of their fruiting bodies. Another common species in our area is Sarcoscypha occidentalis, shown to the right. It fruits later in the year and is not quite as brightly colored. This species is quite a bit smaller and can be found alongside hard-trodden paths fruiting from buried wood. ( http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/... )

Habitat:

This gorgeous, scarlet cup fungus is a winter and springtime find on the West Coast, where it grows from hardwood sticks and branches. Although field guides often treat "Sarcoscypha coccinea" as a widely distributed species in North America, it is in the strictest sense only found on our continent in the Pacific Northwest and in California. The eastern versions, Sarcoscypha dudleyi and Sarcoscypha austriaca, are microscopically distinct from the true Sarcoscypha coccinea--though the collection location alone will separate Sarcoscypha coccinea. Description: Ecology: Saprobic on decaying hardwood sticks (sometimes on buried wood, appearing terrestrial); winter and spring; California and the Pacific Northwest. Fruiting Body: Cup shaped to saucer shaped, up to 4 cm across; upper surface scarlet red, fading with age to orangish, smooth or somewhat hoary; under surface whitish (but the red color of the upper surface often shows through), smooth or finely hairy; stem when present rudimentary, colored like and continuous with the under surface; flesh thin ( http://www.mushroomexpert.com/sarcoscyph... ), ( http://www.soortenbank.nl/soorten.php?so... ), ( http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0504.htm... )

Notes:

Sarcoscypha coccinea was used as a medicinal plant by the Oneida Indians, and possibly by other tribes of the Iroquois Six Nations. The fungus, after being dried and ground up into a powder, was applied as a styptic, particularly to the navels of newborn children that were not healing properly after the umbilical cord had been severed. Pulverized fruit bodies were also kept under bandages made of soft-tanned deerskin. In Scarborough, England, the fruit bodies used to be arranged with moss and leaves and sold as a table decoration. ----The species is said to be edible, inedible, or "not recommended", depending on the author. Although its insubstantial fruit body and low numbers do not make it particularly suitable for the table, one source claims "children in the Jura are said to eat it raw on bread and butter; and one French author suggests adding the cups, with a little Kirsch, to a fresh fruit salad." The fruit bodies have been noted to be a source of food for rodents in the winter, and slugs in the summer