Gyromitra caroliniana

[ Ascomycetes > Pezizales > Discinaceae > Gyromitra . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

This springtime false morel is common in the south, and in the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. Despite the fact that it is consumed by many, this mushroom is not a safe edible! See the page on Mushroom Toxins for further information.

Gyromitra caroliniana can be distinguished from other Gyromitra mushrooms by its geographic range, its large, white stem, its heavily stuffed and chambered interior, and its cap, which is reddish brown and rather tightly stuck to the stem. The cap surface varies from almost brainlike to nearly "pitted and ridged," like Morels. When sliced open, Gyromitra carolinia specimens often feature chambered flesh near the cap surface that is reminiscent of broccoli spears (see the illustration).

Massive specimens of this species are encountered with some regularity; see the photos to the right. I have seen newspaper reports of "monster morels" weighing up to seven pounds; reports such as these are invariably reports of Gyrmoitra caroliniana, rather than true morels. Seasoned morel hunter Tom Nauman, who coordinates the Illinois State Morel Mushroom Hunting Championship, reports that he has seen a 13-inch tall true morel, and that even such a huge morel as this weighed only 20 ounces.

Description:

Ecology: Officially saprobic, but potentially also mycorrhizal--or, like the true morels, donning both ecological hats in the course of its life cycle; found under hardwoods in spring; widely distributed in eastern North America from Kansas to the East Coast, but especially common in the south and in the Mississippi and Ohio watersheds. The northern edge of its range appears to be the southern Great Lakes.

Cap: 5-10 cm; variable in shape but generally tightly affixed; brainlike to pitted and ridged; reddish brown; underside paler, ingrown with stem where contact occurs.

Flesh: Whitish or flushed rose; brittle; chambered; without a central cavity.

Stem: 6-10 cm long; pale tan to pure white; large, sometimes massive; smooth; sometimes discoloring grayish on handling.

Microscopic Features: Spores 30-32.5 x 11.5-14 µ; with 1 large oil droplet and 2-3 smaller ones.

REFERENCES: (Bosc, 1811: Fries, 1822) Fries, 1871. (Smith & Weber, 1985; Weber 1995; Abbott & Currah, 1997; Kuo, 2005.) Herb. FMP 04290402, 03260501, 04100601.

McKnight (1973) points out that Gyromitra caroliniana can be very difficult to separate from Gyromitra brunnea--especially since the geographic ranges of the two species overlap. But Gyromitra brunnea is more "lobed" than Gyromitra caroliniana, and the result is that "seams" can usually be found where the under surface is (barely) exposed. In contrast, Gyromitra caroliniana is almost never lobed and consequently lacks seams. Its cap is so tightly wrinkled and affixed that the under surface cannot be easily seen except, perhaps, right where the stem meets the cap. The photo below compares the two species.

A Missouri specimen weighing 23 pounds!

Photo by Dr. Max Terman, Dept. of Biology, Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas.

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2005, January). Gyromitra caroliniana. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/gyromitra_caroliniana.html