Cup Fungi

cup fungi a large group of fungi, some edible. They all belong to the order Pezizales in the class Ascomycetes, the fungi which form their spores in small sack-shaped cells.

The scarlet elf cup, Sarcoscypha coccinea, is one of the most eye-catching edible fungi. It grows on fallen branches from winter to spring and looks just like a scarlet cup of a size which would suit an elf. It is common in N. America as well as Europe. Children in the Jura are said to eat it raw on bread and butter; and one French author suggests adding the cups, with a little kirsch, to a fresh fruit salad.