Sarcosoma globosum
Species of fungus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Sarcosoma globosum, or witches cauldron,[1] is a species of fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae.[3] It was first described in 1793 by Casimir Christoph Schmidel. Johann Xaver Robert Caspary transferred it to the genus Sarcosoma in 1891.
Sarcosoma globosum | |
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Sarcosoma globosum | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Pezizomycetes |
Order: | Pezizales |
Family: | Sarcosomataceae |
Genus: | Sarcosoma |
Species: | S. globosum |
Binomial name | |
Sarcosoma globosum | |
Synonyms[2] | |
Also known as the charred-pancake cup,[1] it is a near-threatened fungus native to Northern Europe. It is rarely found in some parts of northeastern North America, particularly in the Great Lakes region.[4] To biologists' surprise, in 2021 it was found in Northern British Columbia.[5]
The witches cauldron is an ascomycete or sac fungus, meaning that its microscopic structure utilizes the ascus, a spore-bearing cell, for sexual reproduction. It is a detritivore, and survives on decomposing matter, most commonly leaf litter. It is found in spruce forests and does not currently have any human uses.[4]