Unknown cup fungi

[fungi2bwith]

Can anyone help with this found today on a roadside grass verge at the edge of mixed woodland.
Garry

[Leif]

I can't be sure from your photos, but it looks to be Paxina acetabulum, which is not uncommon at the moment. Each cup has a stem, not unlike that of Helvella crispa, i.e. white and ridged. I think I can see signs of a ridged stem on the top photo though it is possible you broke off most of the stem, thinking it was just a cup!

[mykonik]

Originally Posted by Leif

I can't be sure from your photos, but it looks to be Paxina acetabulum, which is not uncommon at the moment. Each cup has a stem, not unlike that of Helvella crispa, i.e. white and ridged. I think I can see signs of a ridged stem on the top photo though it is possible you broke off most of the stem, thinking it was just a cup!

A bit too dark for that Leif - more likely Helvella leucomelaena (as long as those are fresh fruitbodies ?)

[Leif]

Originally Posted by mykonik

A bit too dark for that Leif - more likely Helvella leucomelaena (as long as those are fresh fruitbodies ?)

Recently I've been finding ones with very dark cups alongside ones with pale cups:

[NickCantle]

I found Paxina acetabulum growing in moss with that supposed Tricholoma yesterday. They were growing out of the moss so they looked like cups, but when I went in with the knife, I revealed as you so rightly say, a 'Helvella like' stem.

Nick

[fungi2bwith]

I didn't notice a stem, but didn't use a knife as Nick C did. But it does have the helvella-type wrinkly bit at the bottom (to use the technical term)

[Leif]

Originally Posted by fungi2bwith

I didn't notice a stem, but didn't use a knife as Nick C did. But it does have the helvella-type wrinkly bit at the bottom (to use the technical term)

Unfortunately they both do, but in Paxina acetabulum (or whatever the current kosher genus) the stem is longer, and the stem wrinkles extend up the sides of the cap. The literature I have gives light brown to dark brown as the colour of the cup, which is consistent with specimens I find (pale brown, chestnut brown and very dark brown, in the same group). It is fairly frequent and there is loads around at the moment. I do not have specialist literature on Paxina so I can only assume microscopic differences differentiate between overlapping forms of the two species, though microscopic details in the works I have are the same! Unfortunately descriptions in works such as Phillips often just aren't good enough.

But getting back to your collection, the whole fruiting body including the stem is needed. We don't know if you left some on the soil or not.