Cup fungi Peziza spec.
inedible
They are brittle instead of gelatinous and mostly grow on the ground.
View on the mapIdentification in 5 steps
The tripe fungus forms gelatinous, ear-shaped lobes stacked like roof tiles on dead deciduous wood. The upper side is light grey to brown and finely zoned and hairy. It is considered inedible.
Seasonall year round
Spore printwhite
FamilyAuriculariaceae
- Cap. The fruiting bodies are 2 to 6 cm across, shell-shaped or ear-shaped and stacked like roof tiles, grey to brown on the outside with fine, concentric zones and shaggy hairs.
- Underside. The underside is smooth to veined, grey to brown and gelatinous; there are no gills or tubes.
- Stem, ring and volva. There is no stem; the fruiting bodies sit sideways on the substrate.
- Smell and taste. It hardly smells or tastes of anything, and the flesh stays tough.
- Flesh and colour change. The flesh is gelatinous, grey to brown and becomes hard when dry.
Lookalikes
It is tough and has no culinary value; do not mistake it for the edible wood ear.
Wood ear Auricularia auricula-judae
edible
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It hardly smells or tastes of anything, and its spore print is white. The tripe fungus has a zoned, shaggy-haired upper side and tends to grow in tiers on deciduous wood.
View on the mapSide by side
| Tripe fungus | Cup fungi | Wood ear | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cap | 2 to 6 cm, shell- to ear-shaped, stacked like roof tiles, zoned | 2 to 10 cm, cup-shaped, brown to ochre brown | 3 to 10 cm, ear- to cup-shaped, reddish brown, velvety |
| Underside | smooth to veined, grey to brown, gelatinous | spore layer smooth, inside the cup | spore layer smooth to veined and folded, glossy |
| Stem | none, fruiting bodies sit sideways on the wood | absent or only hinted at | absent, narrow attachment point on the wood |
| Flesh | gelatinous, grey to brown, hard when dry | waxy and brittle, not gelatinous | gelatinous, elastic, hard when dry |
| Edibility | Inedible | inedible | edible |
Habitat & Season
On fallen trunks, branches and stumps. From the lowlands to the hills and mountains.
Host trees
Dead deciduous wood, such as beech, oak, birch and hazel.
Season
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
possible good main season
Mainly in the damp autumn and winter months on dead wood.
Mushroom regions with a daily forecast
There are no records per region for this species yet. The country pages lead to all regions with a daily forecast.
Safety
Never eat a mushroom you have not identified with certainty. Not an edible mushroom: do not collect it for the kitchen.
Advice for your country
Ireland
Poison centre:
National Poisons Information Centre (public line)(01) 809 2166
Emergency: 112 · 999
Germany
Poison centre:
Emergency: 112
Mushroom advice: DGfM: find a mushroom expert. Certified mushroom experts of the German Mycological Society (DGfM).
Collecting rules: Mushrooms that are not specially protected may be collected in small quantities for personal use unless a protected area or ban applies. Certain specially protected edible species (e.g. cep, chanterelle, birch bolete) may be collected in small quantities for personal use.
Austria
Poison centre:
Vergiftungsinformationszentrale (VIZ)01 406 43 43
Emergency: 112 · 144
Mushroom advice: Austrian Mycological Society (ÖMG): mushroom advice. Mushroom advice by the Austrian Mycological Society or regional services such as municipal market offices.
Collecting rules: At most 2 kg of mushrooms per person per day unless the forest owner has prohibited collecting; organised collecting events are prohibited. Additional state rules apply (collecting hours, closed seasons), e.g. Carinthia, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, Salzburg.
Why it is not edible
Tough, gelatinous and with no culinary value.
Do not collect for the kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
Is the tripe fungus edible?
No, the tripe fungus is considered inedible. It is tough and has no culinary value; do not mistake it for the edible wood ear.
When and where does the tripe fungus grow?
The tripe fungus can be found all year round, mainly in the damp autumn and winter months. It grows on dead deciduous wood such as beech, oak, birch and hazel, on fallen trunks, branches and stumps.
Which look-alikes can the tripe fungus be mistaken for?
It can be mistaken for the wood ear and for cup fungi. The wood ear hardly smells or tastes of anything and has a white spore print, whereas the tripe fungus has a zoned, shaggy-haired upper side and tends to grow in tiers on deciduous wood. Cup fungi are brittle instead of gelatinous and mostly grow on the ground.
How do you recognise the tripe fungus?
The spore print is white. The fruiting bodies are 2 to 6 cm across, shell-shaped or ear-shaped and stacked like roof tiles, grey to brown on the outside with fine, concentric zones and shaggy hairs.
Related species
- Wood ear Auricularia auricula-judae
- Turkey tail Trametes versicolor
- Bitter bolete Tylopilus felleus
- False chanterelle Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca
- Splitgill Schizophyllum commune
- Tinder fungus Fomes fomentarius
Sources
Photo credits
- Photo: Jymm, edited by Ak ccm (talk) · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Cup fungi: Photo: Andreas Kunze · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wood ear: Photo: Björn S... · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
No substitute for having your finds checked in person. No guarantee of accuracy. Updated: 17.10.2026.