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Hare's ear

Hare's ear ©Dr Malcolm Storey

Hare's ear

The hare's ear is a cup-like fungus that grows in clusters in broadleaved and mixed woodland, often near to the path. Its orange colour makes it quite conspicuous in the leaf litter.

Scientific name

Otidea onotica

When to see

June to November

Species information

Category

Statistics

Cup diameter: 1-5cm
Stem height: up to 1cm

Conservation status

Common.

Habitats

About

The hare's ear is a distinctive fungus of deciduous woodlands. The ear-shaped cups appear in groups on the soil and leaf litter of mixed and deciduous woodlands, often near to paths. Fungi belong to their own kingdom and get their nutrients and energy from organic matter, rather than photosynthesis like plants. It is often just the fruiting bodies, or 'mushrooms', that are visible to us, arising from an unseen network of tiny filaments called 'hyphae'. These fruiting bodies produce spores for reproduction, although fungi can also reproduce asexually by fragmentation.

How to identify

The hare's ear displays large, lopsided 'cups', with slightly inrolled margins. The inner surface of the cups is smooth and pinkish-yellow to orange in colour. The outer surface is paler buff in colour. It has a short, hairy basal stem.

Distribution

Widespread.

Did you know?

The hare's ear fungus grows throughout mainland Europe.