fungi · GBIF taxon 2594936
Eyelash Cup Fungus
Cookeina tricholomaAlso known as Bristly Tropical Cup, Hairy Cup Fungus, Tropical Eyelash Cup
These striking, cup-shaped fungi stand out on the forest floor with their brilliant pink to orange-red cups fringed by long, stiff, hair-like bristles. They grow on decaying twigs and fallen branches in warm, humid tropical forests, acting as vital decomposers that recycle nutrients back into the soil. The cup shape helps capture falling raindrops, using a splash-cup mechanism to eject spores into the surrounding air.
TropicalDecomposerBristly
1 / 7- diet
- Saprobic (decomposing organic matter)
- family
- Sarcoscyphaceae
- threats
- Deforestation and habitat fragmentation
- life Span
- Ephemeral fruiting bodies (weeks); mycelium can live for years
NE
Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
- Look closely: Use a magnifying glass to examine the delicate, translucent hairs lining the cup rim.
- Check damp wood: Search underneath fallen, decaying branches in highly humid, shaded forest pockets.
- Observe the splash cup: Watch how rainwater collects in the cup to help disperse spores.