Gyromitra is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of ascomycete

Ascomycota

The Ascomycota are a Division/Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the Sac fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species...

 mushrooms found in the northern hemisphere. The most famous member is the controversial false morel (G. esculenta). The genus contains about 18 species.

Analysis of the ribosomal DNA

Ribosomal DNA

Ribosomal DNA codes for ribosomal RNA. The ribosome is an intracellular macromolecule that produces proteins or polypeptide chains. The ribosome itself consists of a composite of proteins and RNA. As shown in the figure, rDNA consists of a tandem repeat of a unit segment, an operon, composed of...

 of many of the Pezizales showed the genus Gyromitra to be most closely related to the genus Discina, and also Pseudorhizina

Pseudorhizina

Pseudorhizina is a genus of ascomycete fungi related to the false morels of the genus Gyromitra. The type species is Pseudorhizina korshinskii Jacz., the genus being erected in 1913. Known as the umbrella false morel, P. californica is a well-known species of western North America.-External...

, Hydnotrya

Hydnotrya

Hydnotrya is a genus of ascomycete fungi related to the false morels of the genus Gyromitra. There are about 15 species in the genus. A molecular phylogenetic study recovered a species that was described but neglected for 50 years, Hydnotrya bailii....

, and only distantly related to Helvella

Helvella

Helvella is a genus of ascomycete fungus of the Helvellaceae family. The mushrooms, commonly known as elfin saddles, are identified by their irregularly shaped caps, fluted stems, and fuzzy undersurfaces. They are found in North America and in Europe. Well known species include the whitish H....

.