''Sarcoscypha austriaca'' is a

saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...

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 family

Sarcoscyphaceae The ''Sarcoscyphaceae'' are a family of cup fungi in the order Pezizales. Members of the Sarcoscyphaceae are cosmopolitan in distribution, found in both tropical and temperate regions. Genera A 2008 estimate placed 13 genera and 102 species in ...

of the order

Pezizales The Pezizales are an order of the subphylum Pezizomycotina within the phylum Ascomycota. The order contains 16 families, 199 genera, and 1683 species. It contains a number of species of economic importance, such as morels, the black and white tr ...

Ascomycota Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The def ...

. It is commonly known as the scarlet elfcup, pézize écarlate and scharlachroter kelchbecherling.Rogers Mushrooms
The species name means "from

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Distribution

This species is found in Europe and the Northeast of North America where it can be separated from '' Sarcoscypha dudleyi'' on spore characteristics.

Description

This species is found growing on fallen pieces of dead

hardwood Hardwood is wood from dicot trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen. Hardwood (which comes from ...

among mosses and leaf litter in damp habitats in winter and early spring. The fruiting body is cup-shaped with a scarlet smooth, shiny interior. The exterior is covered with a

felted mass A felted material is a hairy or filamentous (hairy-like) fibre that is densely packed or tangled, forming felt or felt-like structures. Anatomy and zoology The dermis is described in Gray's Anatomy as "felted connective tissue, with a va ...

of short hairs in varying shades of white and pink and a stubby stem. The flesh is white and rubbery with a thin red layer lining the cup. The spore print is white and the spores are ellipsoidal with flattened ends and containing several oil droplets. On the outside of the cup the hairs are curly or corkscrew shaped. These features distinguishes this species from the rather similar ''

Sarcoscypha coccinea ''Sarcoscypha coccinea'', commonly known as the scarlet elf cup, scarlet elf cap, or the scarlet cup, is a species of fungus in the family Sarcoscyphaceae of the order Pezizales. The fungus, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, has be ...

'' and ''

Sarcoscypha jurana ''Sarcoscypha'' is a genus of ascomycete fungus and type genus of the family Sarcoscyphaceae. Species of ''Sarcoscypha'' are present in Europe, North America and tropical Asia. They are characterised by a cup-shaped apothecium which is often b ...

'' It is reported to grow on the dead wood of such hosts as ''

Alnus incana ''Alnus incana'', the grey alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners ...

'', species of ''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist so ...

'', '' Acer'' and ''

Robinia ''Robinia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, tribe Robinieae, native to North America. Commonly known as locusts, they are deciduous trees and shrubs growing tall. The leaves are pinnate with 7–21 oval leaflets. The flowe ...

''. It is part of a complex of species which includes ''Sarcoscypha coccinea'' and ''Sarcoscypha dudleyi''. ''Sarcoscypha austriaca'' is generally considered inedible, but is considered edible by the Norwegian Association for Mycology and Foraging. "Soppsesongen er i gang!"
(In Norwegian. "The mushroom season has started!") includes food recipes involving Sarcoscypha austriaca, Matriket, 25 March 2020

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2519734 Sarcoscyphaceae Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Fungi described in 1889 Inedible fungi