Devil's Urn

Urnula craterium

Deciduous and mixed forests, parks. Spring.

Fruiting bodies 2-6 cm tall and 1-4 cm across, at first closed, globose, later, when the top opens, becoming deep goblet-, funnel- or horn-shaped, the margin cracked, fleshy, later of leathery consistency, surface felty, blackish-brown, blackish. Stem up to 4 cm long and 1 cm thick, hollow, widening towards the top, the colour of the cap. Characteristic features: although named a 'noble cup', it is a fungus of gloomy, mystical appearance. Grows singly, in groups, even large ones, on decaying wood and rotten leaves, favouring calcareous, humus-rich places. Inedible. One of the earliest spring fungi. Rare.