Tricharina praecox. Photo credit: Tom Bruns.

Tricharina praecox is a small, saprophytic cup fungus in the Pyronemataceae. Morphologically, it is difficult to separate from T. gilva. Both fungi can be found on burned ground after fires, but T. praecox is limited to such habitats (Van Vooren et al., 2017). This makes it one of a small set of pyrophilous fungi that make their living in post-fire environments. Their behavior and enzymatic capacities are of interest because they thrive in areas with “pyrolyzed” (= partially burnt) forms of carbon and other unique post-fire compounds. Another strain of Tricharina praecox is available on Mycocosm.