Orange Peel Fungus

Characteristics: Fruiting body 5-10 cm wide, shallow bowl or cup-shaped, also with cup-like raised edges, often incised on one side like a tan ear, no stem; inside (fruiting layer) yolk-yellow to orange; outside, similar colour when wet, then lighter, faintly mealy-granular; consistency brittle-waxy; spores colourless, elliptical, with coarsely reticulate ornamentation, each with an appendage at the pole ends, 13-16(20) x 7-8(10) µm; paraphyses with orange, granular contents, turns green in Lugol's solution.
Occurrence: (May) July to October; in forests in open places, mainly along paths and embankments, especially on clay soils, gregarious; common; a saprophyte on soil.
Note: From a distance, the mushrooms resemble discarded orange peel.
Possible confusion: smaller: saprophyte, ear-shaped: hare's ear mushroom.
Text from "BLV-Handbuch Pilze" by Ewald Gerhardt; with the kind permission of Gräfe und Unzer Verlag