See text Cookeina is a genus of cup fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae, members of which may be found in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.

[2] The Temuans of Peninsular Malaysia are reported to use certain species from this genus as food, and also as a bait for fishing, where it is rubbed against the hook.

[4] The Cookeina have asci which are constricted abruptly below and form a blunt, rounded base with a slim, tail-like connection.

Ascospores are large (20—40 μm long), ellipsoidal or slightly unequal-sided, and either smooth or ornamented with fine wrinkles.

Phylogenetic analyses of ribosomal DNA has helped to clarify the evolutionary and genetic relationships amongst the species in Cookeina.

The species C. speciosa, C. tricholoma, and C. sinensis belong to a monophyletic group, and all are hairy, with stipes, and lack a well-defined layer of slime in the excipulum at maturity.

[2] Another monophyletic grouping contains the species C. Venezuela and C. colensoi, which do have a slime layer on the excipulum, and have either short stipes or not at all (sessile).

The presence of some unique physical characteristics in the species C. insititia has made its taxonomic status uncertain, and a source of some debate in the literature— some authors have supported its segregation into the genus Boedijnopeziza,[8][9] and others have questioned this interpretation.

[2][4][10][11][12] Based on a study of ultrastructural characteristics using electron microscopy, a possible solution to the taxonomic conundrum was suggested in 2003, to segregate C. insititia into a subgenus Boedijnopeziza within the Cookeina.

Apothecia cupulate, subsessile to stipitate, 5–19 mm in diameter when dry, receptacle surface smooth; gelatinous layer present in the inner ectal excipulum, 40–50 μm thick, cells of axes somewhat perpendicular to receptacle surface; asci suboperculate, 330–360 × 12.5–13 μm.

[20] Apothecia funnel-shaped, stipitate, rarely sessile, margin covered with fine, inconspicuous hairs; hairs fasciculate, less than 3 mm long; asci 300–400 × 17–20 μm; ascospores ellipsoid, biguttulate, surface with fine longitudinal ridges, 25–29 × 13–15 μm.

Ascospores have a cylindrical or ellipsoid shape, containing two large oil drops, covered with fine longitudinal wrinkles, and have dimensions of 25–33 × 14–18 μm.

The typical habitat is on wood like twigs and rotten tree limbs, at low altitudes (usually below 1000 m), in the tropics.

Ascospores are ellipsoid, pale yellow, contain two large oil drops, have wrinkles and ribs on the surface, and dimensions of 33–36 × 11–13 μm.

[4] Three other tropical genera of the family Sarcoscyphaceae, Phillipsia, Sarcoscypha, and Geodina, have brightly colored apothecia which might be confused with those of Cookeina.

Another similar genus, Scutellinia, has eyelash-like hairs around the margin of a red or orange apothecia, but lacks a stipe.