Species details
Pig's ear cup
Discina ancilis
Conditional / expert preparation
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
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Description
An early-spring brown cup- to disc-shaped ascomycete on decaying conifer wood, with a wrinkled centre.
Identification features
Fruitbody about 4–8 cm wide, initially cup-shaped, later almost flat with an upturned margin, tobacco- to grey-brown. The centre is vein-like and wrinkled. Stem is very short, whitish and furrowed.
Identification checklist
Check for early-spring growth on conifer wood, a broad brown cup-to-disc form and a vein-wrinkled centre.
How to separate similar species
Disciotis venosa grows on soil and has a characteristic chlorine smell; Helvella acetabulum has a more distinct stem with ribs extending up the cup.
Habitat
Grows very early in spring through May on old stumps and decaying conifer wood; relatively uncommon.
Fruiting period
March, April, May