Aleuria aurantia

Sporocarp
Fruiting body 3-7 cm broad, forming irregular cups, split or infolded on one side; context thin, brittle; hymenial surface orange, external surface lighter in color, pruinose.

Spores
Spores 16-21 x 10-11 µm, hyaline, elliptical with two oil drops, roughened in a reticulate pattern at maturity.

Habitat
On bare soil, typically along trails, banks, and dirt roads. Fruits from late fall to early spring.

Edibility
Edible, but of no consequence.

Comments
Aleuria aurantia is easily recognized by the sizable orange cups it forms on disturbed ground, e.g. along the edge of paths and dirt roads. Unlike many Ascomycetes, which fruit during the spring, Aleuria aurantia can be found from November through January, the peak of the Bay Area mushroom season.