I recently went walking around the remains of an old coal open-cast mining site which is now a series of paths and trails and has a nice mix of trees including silver birch and grazing ground for cattle. It was quite fascinating pottering about such a sparse landscape and little mounds of black coal deposits. I also came across several old bonfire sites. I'm always poking about in these sites because I want to find Bonfire Inkcap. Not that day though, but I did come across Charcoal Cup.
This is 3-8 cm across and when young is cup-shaped. With maturity it spreads out a little with the margin becoming incurved. The inner surface is shiny, smooth and dark reddish brown. The outer surface is more pale brown and has a granular/scurfy texture. This fungus is attached flat to the ground, having no stem. It grows in small groups that can be spread out on burnt wood and ground during the Autumn and Spring.
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| Young Charcoal Cup |
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| Mature example |
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| Showing scurfy outer surface |
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