Can you tell apart the scarlet elf cup mushroom and the ruby elf cup mushroom?
These are two strikingly similar fungi that often leave even experienced foragers wondering how to separate them.
Elf cup fungi have a fascinating story to tell—from their unique ways of spreading spores to their surprising uses in traditional medicine and cooking.
Stick around, and by the end of this post, you’ll know exactly how to identify each species, lookalikes, where to find them, and how to enjoy them safely in your own kitchen.
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup scientific name
Sarcoscypha austriaca (Scarlet elf cup mushroom) and Sarcoscypha coccinea (ruby elf cup mushroom)
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup common names
These elf cup fungi are also referred to as elf caps, red cups, moss cups, and fairies’ baths
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup etymology
The genus name Sarcoscypha comes from Greek roots: “sarco-” meaning “flesh” and “-scypha” meaning “cup.” Together, they describe the fungus’s distinctive fleshy, cup-shaped fruiting body.
The species name austriaca translates to ‘from Austria’, a nod to the Austrian mycologist who first documented it.
Meanwhile, coccinea comes from a Latin word meaning ‘vivid red’—think of the rich colour of cochineal dye used in food.
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup native region
Scarlet elf cup and ruby elf cup are fairly common and widespread throughout Britain and Ireland, especially in regions with high rainfall.
You’ll also find it across much of mainland Europe.
Beyond that, this striking ascomycete fungus pops up in parts of North America and has been recorded across the Northern Hemisphere—from Africa and Asia to Europe, the Americas, and even Australia.
Scarlet elf cup mushroom / ruby elf cup mushroom medicinal uses
The Oneida people, part of the Iroquois Six Nations, traditionally used Sarcoscypha coccinea for its healing properties. Once dried and ground into a fine powder, the fungus was sprinkled onto wounds to help stop bleeding.
It was especially valued for treating the navels of newborns when healing was slow after the umbilical cord was cut. The powdered fungus was often tucked beneath soft, tanned deerskin bandages to aid recovery.
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Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup foraging tips
Is scarlet elf cup poisonous?
The Ruby Elfcup and its close cousin, the Scarlet Elfcup, are referred to by some sources as edible.
While they don’t offer much in terms of flavour, they do bring a vibrant pop of colour to cooked mushroom dishes, salads and sushi.
That said, opinions vary: some sources label them inedible.
Still, many foragers enjoy them every now and then in small amounts without any reported ill effects.
Key identifiers of scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup
These striking fungi are known for their vivid colour and delicate cup shape, often spotted nestled in damp, shady woodland.
Scarlet Elfcup (Sarcoscypha austriaca) and Ruby Elfcup (Sarcoscypha coccinea) look pretty much identical.
Some claim to be able to separate the two species in the field, while other sources state that using a microscope to inspect the spores and the hairs on the outside of the cup is the only sure way.
Cap
Both scarlet elf cup mushroom and ruby elf cup mushroom produce cup-shaped fruiting bodies that resemble tiny, hollow bowls scattered across decaying wood or leaf litter.
The inner surface is smooth and typically bright red, though some specimens may appear orange.
Rarely, you might find unusual colour variants in yellow, orange, or even pure white.
Outer surface
The outside of the cup is paler than the inner surface and covered in a soft, felt-like layer of tiny white hairs.
These hairs are one of the key ways to distinguish between the two species:
Ruby elf cup (S. coccinea) has a matted layer of straight, uncoiled hairs.
Scarlet elf cup (S. austriaca) features corkscrew-like coiled hairs, best seen under a microscope.
Size
Cups are usually up to 4 cm across. The stalk (or stipe) is short, up to 3.5cm long, and often blends in with the outer surface colour—usually pale and off-white to light pinkish-orange.
Spores and microscopic features
Both species produce white spore prints and have elongated, ellipsoid spores.
However, spores of S. coccinea can sometimes show a hammerhead shape at the ends—these are the “conidial buds”.
Microscopic examination is often the only sure way to separate these two fungi.
Scent
Neither species has a distinctive odour.
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup lookalikes
It would be hard to mistake scarlet and ruby elf cups for anything but each other.
Orange peel fungus can grow in cup shapes, so check the ID for this species as the closest lookalike.
Green elf cups look very similar except for the small detail of their striking turquoise colour.
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup habitat
Scarlet Elfcup shows a fondness for a variety of hardwood twigs, often appearing on decaying Sycamore, Willow, and Hazel. Ruby Elfcup behaves similarly, thriving on rotting hardwoods like Beech, Elm, and Hazel as well.
You’re most likely to find them on fallen, decomposing twigs—especially Hazel—tucked beneath moss in damp, shaded woodlands or river valleys. Occasionally, they’ll appear higher up, growing from mossy branches of dead, standing trees in moist, sheltered spots.
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup sustainability
Widespread across the UK but not abundant everywhere.
When to harvest scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup
You can find Scarlet elf cup mushrooms and Ruby elf cup mushrooms from late autumn right through to early spring, but they’re at their most abundant during the colder months.
These vivid red little cups often appear in flushes just after a thaw, when the ground is damp and temperatures begin to rise slightly. Winter walks in mossy woodlands are your best bet for spotting them in prime condition.
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup culinary notes
Scarlet Elfcups have a mild, earthy flavour—some even say there’s a hint of beetroot to them. While their texture isn’t quite like your typical mushroom, they hold up well when cooked. They’re best lightly fried or added to stews, where their vibrant colour adds as much appeal as their subtle taste. A lovely way to brighten up a winter meal!
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup recipes
In northern Russia, where these fungi fruit more reliably, they’re sometimes eaten in salads, fried with smetana (a type of sour cream), or simply used as a colourful garnish to brighten up dishes.
Mark at Galloway Wild Foods uses elf cups to create some aesthetically pleasing wild food sushi, pizza, and drink garnishes.
Other uses of scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup
In earlier times, Scarlet and ruby elf cups weren’t just admired in the woods—they also found their way onto dining tables. People would gather them and arrange the vivid cups with moss and leaves to create charming natural centrepieces, adding a splash of woodland magic to their décor.
Scarlet elf cup / ruby elf cup fun facts
Unlike most edible mushrooms, scarlet elf cup mushroom and ruby elf cup mushroom belong to the ascomycetes family, which means they don’t simply drop their spores like typical fungi with pores or gills. Instead, they actively shoot their spores into the air! Sometimes, if you listen closely, you might even hear a tiny puff or pop as they release them.
Here’s a cool trick: gently tapping or blowing on mature elf cups can trigger a spectacular spore launch. What you see isn’t just your breath stirring up dust, but thousands of spores being blasted out at once from the inner surface by a subtle pneumatic action triggered by a change in temperature. It’s a magical sight—and a fantastic activity to try with kids, showing how we can help nature spread its spores.
On a more whimsical note, European folklore tells us that wood elves drink morning dew collected in these cups.
And another fun fact: the largest scarlet elf cup ever recorded measured 10 cm across—truly a giant among its kind!
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References
https://sites.google.com/site/scottishfungi/species-profiles/sarcoscypha-austriaca-scarlet-elfcup
https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/sarcoscypha-austriaca.php
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