Sarcoscypha coccinea

On fallen branches of deciduous trees on the ground, such as Alnus, Acer, or Salix, with bowl- or cup-shaped apothecia 2 to 6 cm in diameter, intense red hymenium, ochre to pinkish exterior, and a stipe that is usually short but well differentiated.

Medullary excipulum of textura intricata, and ectal excipulum of textura prismatica, with hyaline, slightly thick-walled hyphae arranged parallel, 4 to 8 µm wide; from the outer part of these hyphae arise straight or very slightly sinuous excipular hairs up to 8 µm wide.

Asci cylindrical, operculate, eight-spored, 400 to 450 µm long, 12 to 16 µm wide, with uniseriate spore arrangement inside the ascus (in a single row one behind the other), and inamyloid in Melzer's reagent or IKI.

Paraphyses filamentous, slender, 2.5 to 3 µm wide, with slight apical enlargements up to 4 µm, containing copious reddish granular pigment inside that darkens to blackish green in Melzer's reagent, extending very little or not at all above the asci.

Ascospores ellipsoidal with rounded ends, smooth, hyaline, moderately thick-walled, 25 to 35 µm long, 9 to 12 µm wide, containing small oil droplets inside, more abundant at both poles of the spore.