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A mycologist compares a porcini with the illustrations in a mushroom atlas while the Expert explains

Orange peel fungus

Aleuria aurantia · family Pyronemataceae

Description

The orange peel fungus is a mushroom with no cap and no stem: the fruiting body is a cup 2–10 cm across, bright orange inside and pale and finely velvety outside. It usually grows in dense groups, so the cups are bent and squeezed together, and the whole cluster looks like discarded orange peels. The flesh is thin, brittle and watery.

It appears from late summer to autumn on bare, often clayey or sandy ground: on forest tracks and their verges, in ditches, on burnt ground, and also in parks and gardens. In Europe it is common.

It is not easy to confuse with other orange cup fungi, but you should be careful with similar cup-shaped fungi, especially of the genera Otidea and Caloscypha, some of which are poisonous or of unknown edibility. If you are not sure of the species, do not pick or eat it.

Identification features

Cap
The fruiting body is a stipeless apothecium 2–10 cm in diameter. When young it is almost spherical, then cup-shaped with wavy margins; in older specimens it is almost flat, roundish or lobed, with a undulating margin. In dense clusters it is often deformed by the pressure of neighbouring fruiting bodies. The outer surface is finely velvety, from whitish to pale yellow-ochre.
Hymenophore (underside of the cap)
No gills or tubes. The fertile layer (hymenium) lines the inside of the cup; it is smooth, ranging in colour from yellow-red through orange to vermilion-red.
Stem
No stipe; the fruiting body is sessile.
Flesh
Very thin, brittle and watery, whitish-grey. Taste and smell are mild; when crushed, the smell is pleasant. Do not taste the flesh of unknown mushrooms.
Spore print and spores
Spore print white; spores are released in visible puffs when the fruiting body is disturbed. Spores colourless, elongate-elliptical, with a reticulate ornamentation, 16–24 × 8–12 µm. A variety with smaller spores is described from North America.

Habitat and distribution

Ecology. Terrestrial saprotroph. Grows in groups, often in great numbers, on soil, mainly in open, sunny places: on forest tracks and their edges, in ditches and roadside drains, and on burnt ground. Found in woodland, scrub, parks, cemeteries and gardens. Avoids calcareous soils and prefers clayey and sandy ones; it is often the first fungus to appear en masse on heaps of sand and soil deposited by floods.

Distribution. Cosmopolitan: all continents except Antarctica (it occurs on Antarctic islands), and numerous oceanic islands. In Europe it reaches Iceland and Svalbard in the north and is common there. Also found in North America and in southern Chile. It is not legally protected in Poland.

Fruiting. In Poland from late summer to autumn; in North America depending on the region (east: May–November, west: November–March).

What can it be confused with?

  • Sarcoscypha austriaca (Austrian scarlet elf cup) — More intense, scarlet-red colour; grows only in early spring.
  • Melastiza chateri (Chater's bristly cup) — Smaller, with a black-speckled margin of the fruiting body.
  • Caloscypha fulgens (spectacular rustgill cup) — Fruiting body orange-yellow, the inside of the cup grey when young and later orange, the outer surface finely granular; grows in early spring in mountain coniferous forests. Edibility unknown.
  • Pulvinula constellatio (orange cushion cup) — Fruiting bodies disc-shaped or cushion-shaped, not cup-shaped.
  • Species of the genus Otidea (ear fungi) — Fruiting bodies usually ear-shaped, elongated and split down one side, not regularly cup-shaped; some species are poisonous or of unknown edibility.

Never rely on a single feature. If you are not sure — do not pick it; show the mushroom to a qualified mushroom expert.

Interesting facts

  • The English name "orange peel fungus" refers to the appearance of the fruiting bodies, which resemble discarded orange peels.
  • The species was described in 1800 by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon as Peziza aurantia; the current genus name was given to it by Leopold Fuckel in 1870.
  • It is often the first fungus to appear en masse on heaps of sand and soil deposited by floods, and on burnt ground.
  • Mature fruiting bodies disturbed by touch or a gust of air eject their spores in visible puffs.
Gribo does not assess edibility. Identification from a photo — also in the app — does not replace a mushroom expert.

Frequently asked questions

When does Orange peel fungus grow?

According to observations in Poland (GBIF) the season is: September – November; most records fall in October.

Where does Orange peel fungus grow?

Terrestrial saprotroph. Grows in groups, often in great numbers, on soil, mainly in open, sunny places: on forest tracks and their edges, in ditches and roadside drains, and on burnt ground. Found in woodland, scrub, parks, cemeteries and gardens. Avoids calcareous soils and prefers clayey and sandy ones; it is often the first fungus to appear en masse on heaps of sand and soil deposited by floods.

In the Gribo app this species also has a 3D model you can rotate, photos in the quiz and warnings when identifying with the camera. See how to get started.