Fluted Bird's Nest

Habitat

This species is a wood decomposer found on various types of organic debris, including twigs, small branches, conifer needles, cones, stumps, and bark. It is particularly common on wood chip mulch in gardens, landscaped areas, and urban environments, but it also occurs in broadleaf or conifer forests. It grows on soil, humus, and woody materials, typically appearing in scattered groups, dense clusters, or large troops.

Photos

Appearance

Fruit body

Vase-like or inverted bell-shaped, 6–15 mm wide and 7–20 mm high, often tapering toward the base and lacking a distinct stem.

Outer surface

Tawny to chocolate brown or grayish brown, densely covered in shaggy, coarse tufts of hair.

Inner surface

Distinctly grooved or fluted with vertical parallel lines; color ranges from light to dark metallic gray or silvery brown; smooth and shiny.

Lid

A whitish, scurfy membrane that initially covers the opening of the fruit body before withering or rupturing at maturity.

Peridioles

Often called 'eggs,' these are lens-shaped or disc-shaped spore packets, 1–2 mm wide, grayish to tan or brown in color, and attached to the base of the cup by a fine, coiled cord or thread.

Spore print

White to yellowish.

Edibility

This species is considered inedible. It may be confused with Cyathus stercoreus, which lacks the vertical grooves inside the cups and typically grows on dung, or Cyathus olla, which has a different cup lining. It can also be distinguished from Nidula species, which have paler velvety exteriors and eggs embedded in a gel-like matrix.

Nutrient Source

It obtains nutrients by feeding on decomposing organic matter such as dead wood, leaves, and mulch.

Common Names

Danish

Stribet redesvamp

Dutch

Gestreept nestzwammetje

English

Fluted Bird's Nest Fungus, Fluted Bird's Nest

Finnish

uurrepesäsieni

French

Cyathe strié

German

Gestreifter Teuerling

Norwegian Bokmål

stripebrødkorg

Norwegian Nynorsk

stripebrødkorg

Swedish

strimmig brödkorgssvamp

Welsh

Nyth Aderyn Rhesog

Synonyms

• Cyathella striata
• Cyathus hirsutus
• Cyathus hirsutus
• Nidularia striata
• Peziza striata