The coveted title this year goes to the green elfcup (Chlorociboria aeruginascens).
This pretty fungus is useful (presumably to elves) and common in Latvia (presumably, so are elves), but it is noticed and researched rarely, said mycologist Diāna Meiere.
According to the expert, the green-tinted wood left behind after a green elfcup grows on it can be used in woodcraft, and its green pigment xylindein can be used in green (pun unintended) technology and electronics, for example, as a semi-conductor.
The green elfcup grows on rotting wood. The fruit body is only up to 1 centimeter in diameter but they tend to grow in groups and are noticeable by their distinctive color. Fruit bodies are observed from August to November. Green wood tinted by the fungi can be found all year round.
