| Urnula craterium | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Pezizomycetes |
| Order: | Pezizales |
| Family: | Sarcosomataceae |
| Genus: | Urnula |
| Species: | U. craterium
|
| Binomial name | |
| Urnula craterium | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
Urnula craterium | |
|---|---|
 | Smooth hymenium |
 | No distinct cap |
 | Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable |
 | Stipe is bare |
 | Ecology is parasitic or saprotrophic |
 | Edibility is inedible |
Urnula craterium is a species of cup fungus in the family Sarcosomataceae. Appearing in early spring, its distinctive goblet-shaped and dark-colored fruit bodies have earned it the common names crater cup, devil's urn and the gray urn. The asexual (imperfect), or conidial stage of U. craterium is a plant pathogen known as Conoplea globosa, which causes a canker disease of oak and several other hardwood tree species.
Urnula craterium is parasitic on oak and various other hardwoods; it is also saprobic, as the fruit bodies develop on fallen dead wood. The species is distributed in eastern North America, Europe, and Asia. It produces bioactive compounds that can inhibit the growth of other fungi.