Peziza succosa

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by Michael Kuo

Brownish cup fungi are not usually very easy to identify, but Peziza succosa distinguishes itself as soon as you handle it; it is filled with a juice that stains your fingers and the cup's surfaces bright yellow. Microscopic features include asci that turn blue in Melzer's reagent, and warty spores.

Edibility is not known for Peziza succosa; do not experiment.

Description:

Ecology: Traditionally thought to be saprobic, but recent research (Tedersoo and collaborators, 2006) suggests it is mycorrhizal; growing alone, gregariously, or in small clusters on bare soil, often in damp areas; summer; widely distributed in eastern North America, but rare west of the Great Plains.

Fruiting Body: Cup-shaped when young, and usually remaining so in maturity; when clustered becoming pinched and contorted; 2-5 cm across; upper surface smooth, brown to grayish brown or olive brown; outer surface smooth or finely granular, pale (often contrasting with the inner surface when fresh and young), sometimes stained yellow to greenish yellow; stem absent; attached to the substrate at a central location; odor and taste not distinctive; flesh whitish to grayish, when squeezed exuding a juice that stains surfaces bright yellow to greenish yellow.

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 16-22 x 8-12 µ; at maturity warty; elliptical; biguttulate. Asci eight-spored; with blue tips in Melzer's reagent; up to 350 x 18 µ. Paraphyses slightly clavate.

REFERENCES: Berkeley, 1841. (Saccardo, 1889; Seaver, 1928; Dennis, 1968; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Breitenbach & Kränzlin, 1984; Coulter, 1998; Roody, 2003; McNeil, 2006.) Herb. Kuo 05280702, 05310701.

Further Online Information:

Peziza succosa at Roger's Mushrooms
Peziza succosa at Fungi of Poland

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2007, August). Peziza succosa. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/peziza_succosa.html.