Blackdisk Fungus

Order: Pezizales

Genus: Pachyelle

Species: P. clypeata

Identifying Characteristics:

-a small brown cup fungus

- Fruiting Body: To 8 cm across but usually 2-4 cm across; cushion-shaped when young, soon becoming saucer-shaped or shaped like a flattened cup; broadly attached to the wood so that only the edges can be lifted away from the substrate; upper surface sticky when fresh, medium to dark brown, sometimes with a hint of red or purple, smooth or wrinkled, fading with age to tan; without a stem; flesh somewhat rubbery or gelatinous when fresh, sometimes becoming yellowish when torn.

Special Adaptations:

- can be recognized by its growth on soggy logs, its somewhat gelatinous (rather than brittle) texture, and the fact that it clings to the wood fairly tightly, so that it looks flat and only the very edge of the mushroom can be easily lifted

- Saprobic; growing alone or in small groups on rotting wood (primarily the wood of hardwoods) that is usually water-soaked; spring, summer, and fall; apparently limited to eastern North America, but possibly widely distributed.

- Not edible