The fruitbody of a fungus in this sub-group may consist of a funnel-like cap on a stem or of a partial funnel (but then growing in a cluster to form a funnel-like rosette). The fruitbodies grow from wood, possibly buried and then seemingly growing from soil. The caps range from under a millimetre to several millimetres thick, with the feel of thick paper to thin leather and have smooth to wrinkled undersides.
In Cymatoderma you find quite large caps, to 10 centimetres or more in diameter whereas those in Cotylidia and Podoscypha reach only a few centimetres. Podoscypha fruitbodies are often found in rosettes and sometimes have very rudimentary stems.
Warning
Some fungi have funnel-shaped fruitbodies with tiny pores on the underside and it may be necessary to use a hand lens to be sure there are no pores.
