Species details
Green elfcup
Chlorociboria aeruginosa
Inedible
Photo: Jymm · Public domain · Photo source
Description
A tiny blue-green cup fungus on decaying wood whose mycelium characteristically stains the wood turquoise-green.
Identification features
Fruitbodies are usually up to 1 cm wide, cup-shaped at first and flatter later. The entire fungus is strikingly blue-green with a very short thin stalk.
Identification checklist
Characteristic clues are the tiny blue-green cups and the similarly stained decaying wood.
Habitat
Grows on decaying hardwood, especially oak, in summer and autumn; the green-stained wood is often seen more frequently than the fruitbodies.
Fruiting period
June, July, August, September, October
Ecology
- Host trees
- Oak (Quercus)
- Substrate
- Dead wood
- Notes
- Grows on decaying hardwood, especially oak, in summer and autumn; the green-stained wood is often seen more frequently than the fruitbodies.
How to separate similar species
Chlorociboria aeruginascens is macroscopically very similar; reliable separation may require microscopy.
Similar species
- Chlorociboria aeruginascens
- Chlorociboria species