''Peziza violacea'', commonly known as the violet fairy cup or the violet cup fungus, is a species of

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

in the genus ''

Peziza ''Peziza'' is a large genus of saprophytic cup fungi that grow on the ground, rotting wood, or dung. Most members of this genus are of unknown edibility and are difficult to identify as separate species without use of microscopy. The polyphyleti ...

'' of the family

Pezizaceae The Pezizaceae (commonly referred to as cup fungi) are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota which produce mushrooms that tend to grow in the shape of a "cup". Spores are formed on the inner surface of the fruit body (mushroom). The cup shape typ ...

. As both it common names and

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

suggest, the cup-shaped fruiting bodies are violet colored on the interior surface. ''P. violacea'' is typically found growing on burnt soil.

Description

Fruiting bodies are initially almost spherical, then cup-shaped, then expanding to being somewhat flattened in age. They do not have a stem (or at most a short, narrowed version), and may be up to wide by 1–1.5 cm tall, although they are often much smaller. The inner spore-bearing surface of the cup, the

hymenium The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some ...

, is pale violet to reddish violet in color, often centrally depressed and slightly wrinkled. The

flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as mu ...

is thin (0.5–2.0 mm thick) and pale purple. The exterior surface is paler than the interior, somewhat grayish, and may be ''pruinose'' near the margins—having a very fine whitish powder on the surface. The odor and taste are not distinctive.

Microscopic characteristics

The

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

s are elliptical, smooth,

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from el, ὑάλινος, translit=hyálinos, lit=transparent, and el, ὕαλος, translit=hýalos, lit=crystal, glass, label=none. Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is ...

, without any oil droplets (''eguttulate''), with dimensions of 16–17 × 8–10 μm. The

asci ASCI or Asci may refer to: * Advertising Standards Council of India * Asci, the plural of ascus, in fungal anatomy * Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative * American Society for Clinical Investigation * Argus Sour Crude Index * Association of ...

are roughly cylindrical, 8-spored 200–250 × 12–15 μm.Seaver FJ. (1917). Photographs and descriptions of cup-fungi: V. ''Peziza proteana'' and ''Peziza violacea''". ''

Mycologia ''Mycologia'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes papers on all aspects of the fungi, including lichens. It first appeared as a bimonthly journal in January 1909, published by the New York Botanical Garden under the editorship of W ...

'' 9(1): 1–3. The

paraphyses Paraphyses are erect sterile filament-like support structures occurring among the reproductive apparatuses of fungi, ferns, bryophytes and some thallophytes. The singular form of the word is paraphysis. In certain fungi, they are part of the fe ...

are club-shaped, filled with violet granules, and have curved tips; they are up to 8 μm wide.

Edibility

The species is considered inedible.

Habitat and distribution

''Peziza violacea'' is widespread on burned soil and charred wood. It typically grows scattered or in groups. It is found in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, and

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

.Pfister DH, Eyjolfsdottir GG. (2007). "New records of cup-fungi from Iceland with comments on some previously species". ''Nordic Journal of Botany'' 25(1–2): 104–112.

Similar species

The closely related ''

Peziza praetervisa ''Peziza praetervisa'', commonly known as the purple fairy cup or the fireplace cup, is a species of fungus in the genus ''Peziza'', family Pezizaceae. Recognized by its flattened, purple, cup-like fruitbodies, this widespread fungus typically g ...

'' is also violet-colored and prefers growing on burned ground. In general, ''Peziza praetervisa'' is more purple- rather than violet-colored like ''P. violacea''. However, fruiting body color can vary depending on humidity and other factors, so they are more reliably distinguished microscopically—''P. praetervisa'' has rough, not smooth spores with two polar oil drops. ''P. proteana'' also prefers burned ground, but is paler in color, being white or pinkish.

References

External links

University of California, Davis entry
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2065234 Pezizaceae Fungi described in 1794 Fungi of North America Fungi of Europe Inedible fungi Taxa named by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon Fungi of Iceland