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Gyromitra esculenta [ Ascomycetes > Pezizales > Discinaceae > Gyromitra . . . ] by Michael Kuo Gyromitra esculenta is a beautiful springtime mushroom frequently found by morel hunters in northern and western areas of the continent. It can be distinguished from other false morels by its brainlike, reddish brown, irregular cap, and by the fact that its stem is not massive in proportion to its cap. In dry weather conditions, these mushrooms can blacken and dry up--and last for an amazingly long time on the forest floor. In Scandinavia, this mushroom is sold commercially and regularly consumed. When I lived in Finland for a year, I discovered that many Finns actually cultivate the "korvasieni" by innoculating shredded newspaper with Gyromitra esculenta in the fall and burying it a few centimeters underground, in the woods. In the following spring, these mushroomers then return to the site, where mushrooms are growing! North American readers should not interpret this to mean that our mushroom is edible, however. Chemical differences between European and North American mushrooms of the same "species" are commonplace in mycology, and scientists have thoroughly and unquestionably demonstrated the presence of potentially fatal toxins in the North American species. 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 in spring, primarily under conifers; widely distributed in northern and montane North America. Cap: 3-12 cm; variable in shape but generally brainlike, somewhat lobed (but usually not saddle-shaped); pinkish tan to reddish brown, becoming darker to nearly black in age and in the sun; underside generally well protected, close to stem, tan to pale. Flesh: Thin; brittle; slight or chambered. Stem: 3-7 cm; pale yellowish tan to rose to tinged like the cap; usually roundish in cross-section but frequently folded into a figure eight cross-section; smooth. Microscopic Features: Spores 21-25 x 12-13 µ; smooth; elliptical. REFERENCES: (Persoon, 1800: Fries, 1822) Fries, 1849. (Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Arora, 1986; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Weber 1995; Abbott & Currah, 1997; Evenson, 1997; Barron, 1999; Roody, 2003; Kuo, 2005.) Herb. FMP 05249503, 05249701, 05110301, 05130305, 05150403, 05150404, 05150405. Further Online Information: Gyromitra esculenta at Tom Volk's Fungi |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2005, January). Gyromitra esculenta. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/gyromitra_esculenta.html |