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The Genus Sarcoscypha  

[ Ascomycetes > Discomycetes > Pezizales > Sarcoscyphaceae . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

These bright red cup fungi are fairly common in many areas of North America. One species, Sarcoscypha occidentalis, is easily separated from the others on the basis of its size and its stem. Three other North American species, typically treated broadly as "Sarcoscypha coccinea" in field guides, are more difficult to separate, and may require microscopic analysis for identification. All four are keyed out below.

 		 

Sarcoscypha coccinea


Key to 4 Species of Sarcoscypha in North America


1.Cup typically < 2 cm across; short stem present; spores < 21 µ long; found east of the Rocky Mountains.

1.Cup larger; stem rudimentary or absent; spores longer.
2


2.Found in the Pacific Northwest and California; spores usually unsheathed and lacking "polar caps."

2.Found elsewhere; spores sheathed or with polar caps.
3


3.Spores with rounded (elliptical) ends; when fresh and viewed in a water mount, encased by a full sheath.

3.Spores with slightly flattened ends; when fresh and viewed in a water mount, without a full sheath but frequently with "polar caps" (a sheathlike covering at each end).


References

Baral, H. O. (2004). The European and North American species of Sarcoscypha. Retrieved April, 2006 from the Web site of H. O. Baral: http://www.gbif-mycology.de/HostedSites/Baral/Sarcoscypha.htm

Harrington, F. A. (1990). Sarcoscypha in North America (Pezizales, Sarcoscyphaceae). Mycotaxon 38: 417-458.

Harrington, F. A. (1998). Relationships among Sarcoscypha species: Evidence from molecular and morphological characters. Mycologia 90: 235-243.

Li, L. T. & Kimbrough, J. W. (1995). Spore ontogeny in species of Sarcoscypha. Mycologia 87: 749-758.



Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2006, April). The genus Sarcoscypha. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/sarcoscypha.html

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