About this fungus
Devil's Urn is a fungus in the Sarcosomataceae family. Its habitat and field characteristics are summarised below.
A deep, dark brown to black cup fungus shaped like a small urn or goblet, often appearing in clusters from partly buried hardwood in early spring.
What to check
Look for a deep leathery cup on a short blackish stem, with a smooth dark inner surface and a velvety or finely rough outer surface. The rim begins closed and becomes irregular or ragged as the cup opens. Confirm attachment to buried or soil-contacting hardwood, especially oak. It has no gills, ring or volva.
Variation
Young fruit bodies are narrow and almost closed. They expand into open goblets, and older cups can have split or uneven rims. Colour ranges from dark brown to nearly black, while the outer surface may become rougher or finely cracked with age.
Lookalikes
Galiella rufa usually fruits later and has a paler cinnamon-brown inner surface. Plectania and Pseudoplectania species can also form dark cups but differ in size, texture, stem development or microscopic features. Black cup fungi are a difficult group, so exact identification outside the well-documented eastern North American range may require microscopy.
Habitat and range
Fruit bodies develop on fallen hardwood branches, especially oak, often where the wood touches the soil or is buried beneath litter. It is best known from eastern North America and fruits from late winter into spring. The fungus also has an asexual stage associated with hardwood cankers, while the visible cups arise from dead wood.
Food safety
Inedible.