Gail Ruhl, Botany & Plant Pathology Department
These colorful fungi were found growing in a sandy strawberry patch.
The grower was curious as to whether these fungi were harming the strawberry plants. The two different fungal fruting bodies were identified by Dr. Markus Scholler, Director of the Purdue Arthur and Kriebel Herbarium, Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, as Ascomycetes belonging to two different genera, Aleuria and Melastiza.
These fungi are not parasitic. They grow as saprophytes (using dead, decaying organic matter as their food source) along the edges of paths and roads, in forests or on grassy herb-covered spots, and on bare sandy or loamy ground.
Click on the small image to view a larger image.
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| Cup Fungi - Aleuria and Melastiza (Photo by Gail Ruhl) |
Cup Fungi - Aleuria (Photo by Gail Ruhl) |
Cup Fungi - Aleuria (Photo by Mike Manning, CES Educator Jasper County) |
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Plant and Pest Digital Library and Digitally Assisted Diagnosis, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.