|Major Groups > Cup Fungi > Peziza repanda|
by Michael Kuo
For the most part, brown cup fungi are very difficult to identify. Peziza repanda, however, has enough distinctive features to make it "unique" among the many boring, brown cups belonging to the Ascomycetes. Look for:
Rather a long list, but if you have matched all of these features (unfortunately, microscopic examination of spores is probably a necessity), you have found Peziza repanda. Be sure to compare with Pachyella clypeata.
When young, Peziza repanda is very pale or even whitish overall, and it displays a central, stemlike structure. This stage is rarely illustrated or discussed in field guides. Gradually the upper surface darkens to brown, and the "stem" becomes negligible in proportion to the cup.
Ecology: Saprobic on well-decayed logs, usually on the wood of hardwoods but occasionally on wood chips or on the ground in soil that is rich with decayed wood; growing alone, gregariously, or clustered; typically found in colder weather (spring and fall in temperate regions), but sometimes appearing in summer; widely distributed in North America.
Fruiting Body: Initially pale brown or whitish overall; cup-shaped; the under surface minutely fuzzy and the upper surface smoother; with a tiny stem-like structure. In maturity flattened-irregular or bent backwards; 6-12 cm across; the margin often splitting; upper surface brown and smooth, often "pinched" or somewhat wrinkled over the center; under surface whitish and minutely fuzzy; attached to the substrate centrally, without a stem. Odor none. Flesh brownish or pale; brittle.
Microscopic Features: Spores 11-16 x 6-10 µ; smooth; elliptical; without oil droplets. Asci eight-spored; up to 225 x 15 µ.
REFERENCES: Persoon, 1806. (Seaver, 1928; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Arora, 1986; States, 1990; Lincoff, 1992.) Herb. Kuo 10100402, 01160507, 05240501.
The sources listed above are in agreement on Peziza repanda, but it should be noted that many diverse mushrooms have been labeled "Peziza repanda" in other sources--and, since its appearance is so variable, many forms of Peziza repanda have been given other labels.
Further Online Information:
Peziza repanda at Roger's Mushrooms
Cite this page as:
Kuo, M. (2004, October). Peziza repanda. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/peziza_repanda.html.