Scarlet / Ruby Elf Cups
How To ID Me And What I’m Good For?
My ID Features:
The top side.
The underside.
Oakley happy with his find!
Growing on hazel.
Scarlet / Ruby Elf Cups
Latin Name - Sarcoscypha coccinea / Sarcoscypha austriaca.
Common Names - Scarlet Elf Cup, Ruby Elf Cup.
Family - Sarcoscyphaceae.
Season - Winter.
Habitat - This fungi in our experience particularly enjoys decomposing hazel wood. But, not uncommon to find it on other hard woods.
Spore Print - White.
Possible Confusion - Hard to confuse with anything inedible due to its visual appearance and time of the year. Both Scarlet and Ruby Elf Cups are visually identical, requiring macroscopy to tell them apart. Fortunately, they’re both edible.
Description - The bright red appearance of this stunning fungi shines bright amongst the decaying forest floor. During the winter months there isn’t a huge abundance of edible mushrooms. In local hazelnut coppices, these beautiful members of the Pezizales family grow in huge bounty! We have seen other foragers advocate eating these mushrooms raw. However, some field guides now suggest them as ‘suspect’. We would recommend thoroughly cooking them as seen in our elf ketchcup.
Medicinal Qualities - It has been used as a medicine by the Native Americans to stop bleeding. Though we’ve been unable thus far to find any medical backing to this claim.
Harvesting Sustainability - Always be considerate. Leave some behind so they can release their spores and aid future generations.
Safety Note - Take caution not to pick from contaminated areas.
Never munch on a hunch! Volf takes no responsibility for anything consumed.
Now For The Tasty Bit!
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