Habitat & Distribution: Common in crowded groups on dead twigs, fern stems, straw and wheat stubble.
General Information: Cyathus differs from Crucibulum in the more complex fruit-body which consists of three layers, and the peridioles forming on distinct stalks. Two species are frequently seen: Cyathus striatus Persoon has a grey, fluted inner surface to the cup and strongly hairy red-brown outer surface; the spores measure 16-22 × 9-10 µm. Cyathus olla Persoon has a smooth, shiny, grey surface and minutely silky, yellowish grey outer surface. C. striatus is found on twigs, and about dead stumps; C. olla is more frequent in gardens on herbaceous debris and dead pieces of perennial flowers—or even in plant pots.
Sphaerobolus stellatus Persoon
is more distantly related and grows on decaying leaves, bracken fronds, partially buried twigs and dung. It is an intriguing fungus because it possesses a remarkable spore-dispersal mechanism. The inner layer of the fruit-body when ripe suddenly turns inside out catapulting the inner spore-mass to distances of anything up to 4,200 mm, that is a distance of 1,000 times the size of the fruit-body. The fruit-body is externally whitish or pale yellow, but this layer splits into lobes like a star exposing the bright orange inner surface and pale spore-mass.
Illustrations: Crucibulum laeve—LH 223; WD 1117. Cyathus striatus—LH 223; WD 1119. Sphaerobolus stellatus—LH 223; WD 1115.
Plate 66. Bird’s nest fungi
![[Larger illustration]](#467779198995390083_illo197lg.png.id-3657134022164255540.wrap-0.html.html){kind=link}