Scarlet Elfcup

Habitat

These fungi serve as decomposers, found on dead or rotting wood, specifically decomposing twigs and branches. They are typically located on the forest floor in broadleaf or mixed forests, flourishing on damp wood from trees such as maple, sycamore, hazel, beech, elm, and mossy willow. Fruitbodies may grow solitarily but more frequently appear in small tufted groups or gregarious clusters.

Photos

Appearance

Fruit body

Cup-shaped, ranging from 1 to 7 cm across and 2 to 3 cm high; initially deeply cup-shaped with an inrolled margin, becoming shallower and more irregular or tattered as it expands.

Inner surface

Vibrant scarlet to red, smooth, and concave; may fade to reddish-orange with age.

Outer surface

Whitish to pale ochre and frequently wrinkled; densely covered in fine, white, curly or coiled hairs.

Stem

Whitish to ochre colored and typically short, measuring 5 to 30 mm long; can be prominent, sharply tapered, or occasionally almost absent.

Spore print

Hyaline in mass.

Edibility

This species is considered edible but is not often sought after as it is not very substantial. It is nearly identical to Sarcoscypha coccinea and Sarcoscypha dudleyi, which are difficult to distinguish without microscopic examination of the spores and surface hairs.

Nutrient Source

This mushroom obtains nutrients by decomposing dead plant material, such as fallen branches, rather than living organisms.

Common Names

Danish

Krølhåret pragtbæger

Dutch

Krulhaarkelkzwam

English

Scarlet Elfcup

Finnish

punamaljakas

German

Roter Kelchbecherling

Norwegian Bokmål

skarlagen vårbeger

Norwegian Nynorsk

skarlaksvårbeger

Swedish

scharlakansskål

Welsh

Cwpan Robin Goch

Synonyms

• Lachnea austriaca
• Lachnea austriaca
• Molliardiomyces coccineus
• Peziza austriaca
• Peziza imperialis
• Plectania austriaca
• Scutellinia imperialis