The asexual (imperfect), or conidial stage of C. fulgens is the plant pathogenic species Geniculodendron pyriforme, known to infect dormant seeds of the Sitka spruce.

Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data shows that within the order Pezizales, Caloscypha fulgens belongs in an evolutionary lineage with the families Helvellaceae, Morchellaceae, and Tuberaceae.

[9] The fruiting body of C. fulgens is roughly cup-shaped, although the cup may be somewhat flattened, lopsided or split; the size is up to 6 centimetres (2+3⁄8 inches) in diameter.

[12] A single specimen of an albino form, 2 cm (3⁄4 in) in diameter, was discovered in Northern Idaho; it was found to be lacking the pigment responsible for staining the outer surface olive-green.

[14] The asci, the spore-bearing cells, are cylindrical and 80–100 by 7–8 μm; the paraphyses are thin and filamentous and contain orange granules.

The imperfect, or conidial stage of this fungus is the plant pathogen Geniculodendron pyrofirme, first reported in 1964,[24] and known to infect dormant seeds of the Sitka spruce, Picea sitchensis.

Squirrels tend to cache pinecones repeatedly in the same location, and in cool, moist conditions favorable for fungus growth.