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Species Information
Summary: Features include whitish to tan or brown, irregular saucer-shaped cup, the underside the same color or paler, flesh that often turns golden yellow when broken, absent or indistinct stem, growth on a variety of domestic materials, especially alkaline surfaces, and microscopic characters including smooth spores that eventually become weakly punctate. The illustration in Breitenbach(1) is said by K. Hansen et al. to represent Peziza varia.
Peziza domiciliana is found at least in BC, WA, OR, CA, UT, (Larsen), NY to IA and MO (Seaver), and AB (Schalkwijk-Barendsen). It is common, found throughout North America, (Phillips), and Denmark and Sweden, (Hansen).
Upper surface: 2-10cm across or occasionally larger; cup-shaped when young, becoming flattened or wavy when old, but often keeping central depression (umbilicate), outline often irregular or somewhat angular when old; spore-bearing upper surface at first white or buff, often darkening when old to tan or brown, smooth to slightly wrinkled, (Arora), 1-4cm across, spore-bearing surface yellowish brown with a pink tinge, (Hansen), at first goblet-shaped, flattening; white then soon pale yellow-ocher to brownish buff, (Phillips), up to 4cm across and 4cm tall (Schalkwijk-Barendsen), at first white, becoming dingy buff or brownish, (Seaver)
Flesh: "rather fragile, at times slightly waxy"; "sometimes turning yellow when broken", (Arora), "fragile, thin; buff then golden yellow when broken", (Phillips), "when broken turning golden yellow (it is uncertain whether this character is constant but it is very conspicuous in some cases)", (Seaver)
Underside: bald (Hansen), the same color as upper surface or paler, (Arora), white (Seaver)
Stem: often a prominent stem when young and inconspicuous or absent when old, short and stout, up to 1cm long; usually whitish, (Arora)
Odor: not distinctive (Phillips), pungent fragrance of fresh morels (R. Sieger, pers. comm.)
Taste: not distinctive (Phillips)
Microscopic: spores 12-14(15) x 6-9 microns, finely warted, with 2 small droplets, (Hansen, K.), spores 11-15 x 6-10 microns, elliptic, "smooth to very slightly roughened, at times with two small oil droplets", (Arora), spores 13-16 x 7-9 microns, elliptic, verruculose (with fine warts), with 1 or 2 droplets; excipulum thick, (Hansen)
Habitat / Range
single to gregarious or clustered "on a wide range of domestic materials: plaster, cement, sand, gravel, coal dust, carpets, fireplace ashes, etc."; said to favor strongly alkaline substrates; in houses, "cellars, greenhouses, shower stalls, damp closets, under porches, on wet rugs, behind refrigerators, around leaky water beds", in cars, (Arora), enriched soil, sawdust, etc., (Hansen), usually associated with buildings, often on damp sand, plaster, in cellars, on rotten wood in houses, (Phillips)
Similar Species
Peziza varia and Peziza petersii are among other cup fungi that occasionally grow indoors (Arora). P. varia also occurs on damp walls, plaster and mortar, (Hansen, K.). Peziza praetervisa is close and has been regarded as a color form of Peziza domiciliana, and Peziza petersii is also close, (Dennis).
