Green Elfcup

Green Elfcup is a beautiful bluish-green cup fungus. The cups can be stalked or unstalked and are initially goblet shaped, then flatten with age and develop wavy edges. Individual cups are 0.5cm to 1cm in diameter and measure less than 1cm tall. The inner surface is smooth and bluish-green in colour, while the outer surface is felty and pale blue-green, darkening with age.

The mycelium growing through the wood stains it conspicuously blue-green and it is more common to see the green stained wood, than to actually see the fruiting bodies.

It can be found on bark-free dead wood of deciduous trees, especially oak, beech and hazel.

Widespread and common in Britain, with the green stain noticeable all year round, but fruiting bodies less frequent, usually seen in autumn.