Willow Canyon, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 12-06-12. Identified by Joanne Schwartz. © Peter J. Bryant.

Bird's Nest Fungus

Cyathus olla

This tiny fungus shows an amazing "Splash-cup" dispersal mechanism. The "eggs", properly named peridioles, are spring-loaded, and when disturbed by a raindrop they are propelled out of the cup (peridium) to land up to 3-4 feet away. They trail a sticky ball (hapteron) on the end of a string (funiculum) which may be up to 8 inches long, allowing them to stick to nearby plant stems (Story; Illustration). They then release their cargo of spores that germinate and grow into "homokaryotic hyphae", which can fuse with other hyphae to form a "dikaryotic mycelium", and this can later produce new peridia (Life cycle).

Family: Nidulariaceae

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Closed individuals. Woods End Wilderness Preserve, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 11/25/11. © Darius Gleason

Two almost open, three open. Woods End Wilderness Preserve, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 11/26/11. © Peter J. Bryant

Two almost open, one open. Woods End Wilderness Preserve, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 11/26/11. © Peter J. Bryant


Two closed, one open. Woods End Wilderness Preserve, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 11/26/11. © Peter J. Bryant


Three open, two closed individuals. Woods End Wilderness Preserve, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 11/25/11. © Darius Gleason
 

Willow Canyon, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 12-06-12. Identified by Joanne Schwartz. © Peter J. Bryant.

Willow Canyon, Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Laguna Beach, Orange County, CA. 12-06-12. Identified by Joanne Schwartz. © Peter J. Bryant.