Gyromitra infula
Encyclopedia
Gyromitra infula, commonly
known as the hooded false morel or the elfin saddle, is a member of the ascomycete
mushrooms in the family Helvellaceae
. The dark reddish-brown caps
of the fruit bodies develop a characteristic saddle-shape in maturity, and the ends of both saddle lobes are drawn out to sharp tips that project above the level of the fruiting body. The stem is white or flushed pale brown, smooth on the outside, but hollow with some chambers inside. It is found in the northern hemisphere
, usually in the late summer and autumn, growing on rotting wood or on hard packed ground. G. infula is considered inedible as it contains the toxic compound gyromitrin
, which, when metabolized by the body, is converted into monomethylhydrazine
, a component of some rocket fuels. The toxin may be removed by thorough cooking. Gyromitra
fungi are included in the informal category "false morel
s".
as Helvella infula (the original genus spelling was Elvela). In 1849, Elias Magnus Fries
established the genus Gyromitra
, distinguishing it from Helvella based on a gyrose hymenium
(marked with wavy lines or convolutions); the genus was based on the type species
Gyromitra esculenta. Later, in 1886, French mycologist Lucien Quélet
transferred the species to Gyromitra. The next few decades witnessed some lingering confusion as to the correct taxonomical placement of these fungi. In 1907, Jean Boudier
moved both G. esculenta and H. infula into a newly created genus he called Physomitra; he retained the genus Gyromitra but "based it on an entirely different character so as to exclude from the genus the very species on which it was founded". In an attempt to reconcile the confusion surrounding the naming and identity of the two mushrooms, Fred J. Seaver proposed that both were synonymous, representing variable forms of the same species. His suggestion was not adopted by later mycologists, who identified various differences between the two species, including fruiting time as well as macroscopic and microscopic differences.
The genus
name is derived from the Greek
words gyros/γυρος "round" and mitra/μιτρα "headband"; the specific epithet is from the Latin
infǔla, a heavy band of twisted wool worn by Roman officiants at sacrifices. It is known more commonly as the elfin saddle or the hooded false morel. Additionally, G. infula is a member of a group of fungi collectively known as "false morel
s", so named for their resemblance to the highly regarded edible true morels
of the genus Morchella. This group includes other species of the genus Gyromitra, such as G. esculenta (brain mushroom), G. caroliniana
(beefsteak mushroom) and G. gigas
(snow morel).
of the fruit body (technically an apothecium) is up to 12 cm (4.7 in) high by 10 cm (3.9 in) wide and is reddish brown, and somewhat saddle-shaped with 2–4 lobes. It frequently develops blackish-brown spots on the surface. During the development of the mushroom, the periphery of the cap grows into the stipe
below, to form a hollow, roughly bell-shaped structure with the fertile spore-bearing surface (the hymenium
) on the outside; as the surface growth of the hymenium continues to expand even after joining to the stipe, the hymenium can no longer follow and it arches up into folds and pads. The stipe, typically between 2 – high and 1 – thick, can be various colors from reddish brown to whitish or even bluish, but is typically lighter colored than the cap. The stipe is minutely tomentose
– covered with a layer of very fine hairs. The context
is thin (1–2 mm) and brittle. G. infula does not have any appreciable odor or taste.
s are ellipsoidal in shape, hyaline
, smooth, thin-walled, with dimensions of 17–22 by 7–9 µm
. They are also biguttulate, containing two large oil droplets at either end. The spore-producing cells, the asci
, are roughly cylindrical, eight-spored, operculate (opening by an apical lid to discharge the spores) and have dimensions of 200–350 by 12–17 |µm. The diameter of the club-shaped paraphyses
is 7–10 µm at the apex.
, which when digested is metabolized into monomethylhydrazine
, a major component of rocket fuel. Although much of the gyromitrin may be removed by parboiling with generous volumes of water, consumption is not advisable due to possible long-term health effects—there is evidence that even small doses of gyromitrin may have a cumulative carcinogenic effect.
is very similar in appearance, and although it is usually not possible to discern between the two species without examining microscopic characteristics, G. ambigua is said to have more pronounced purple tints in the stipe. G. ambigua has larger spores that are about 22–30 µm long. The saddle-shaped cap of G. infula might also lead to confusion with some species of Helvella
, but these latter fungi typically have grayer colors and thinner, fluted stipes.
, as well as the deciduous tree species Populus balsamifera
, Populus tremuloides
, Acer macrophyllum, Alnus species, and Betula papyrifera.
Gyromitra infula is widely distributed throughout boreal
, montane
and coastal forests in North America. The North American range extends north to Canada and south to Mexico. It has also been reported from South America, Europe, and Asia.
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
known as the hooded false morel or the elfin saddle, is a member of the 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 in the family Helvellaceae
Helvellaceae
The Helvellaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi, the best known members of which are the elfin saddles of the genus Helvella. Originally erected by Elias Magnus Fries in 1823 as Elvellacei, it contained many genera...
. The dark reddish-brown caps
Pileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
of the fruit bodies develop a characteristic saddle-shape in maturity, and the ends of both saddle lobes are drawn out to sharp tips that project above the level of the fruiting body. The stem is white or flushed pale brown, smooth on the outside, but hollow with some chambers inside. It is found in the northern hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
, usually in the late summer and autumn, growing on rotting wood or on hard packed ground. G. infula is considered inedible as it contains the toxic compound gyromitrin
Gyromitrin
Gyromitrin is a toxin and carcinogen present in several members of the fungal genus Gyromitra, most notably the false morel G. esculenta. It is unstable and is easily hydrolyzed to the toxic compound monomethylhydrazine, a component of some rocket fuels. Monomethylhydrazine acts on the central...
, which, when metabolized by the body, is converted into monomethylhydrazine
Monomethylhydrazine
Monomethylhydrazine is a volatile hydrazine chemical with the chemical formula CH3 NH2. It is used as a rocket propellant in bipropellant rocket engines because it is hypergolic with various oxidizers such as nitrogen tetroxide and nitric acid...
, a component of some rocket fuels. The toxin may be removed by thorough cooking. Gyromitra
Gyromitra
Gyromitra is a genus of ascomycete mushrooms found in the northern hemisphere. The most famous member is the controversial false morel ...
fungi are included in the informal category "false morel
False morel
Gyromitra esculenta , one of several species of fungi known as false morels, is an ascomycete fungus from the genus Gyromitra, widely distributed across Europe and North America. It normally sprouts in sandy soils under coniferous trees in spring and early summer...
s".
Taxonomy
The fungus was first described in 1774 by German mycologist Jacob Christian SchäfferJacob Christian Schäffer
Jakob or Jacob Christian Gottlieb Schäffer or Schäffern was a German dean, professor, botanist, mycologist, entomologist, ornithologist and inventor.-Biography:...
as Helvella infula (the original genus spelling was Elvela). In 1849, Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries
-External links:*, Authors of fungal names, Mushroom, the Journal of Wild Mushrooming.*...
established the genus Gyromitra
Gyromitra
Gyromitra is a genus of ascomycete mushrooms found in the northern hemisphere. The most famous member is the controversial false morel ...
, distinguishing it from Helvella based on a gyrose hymenium
Hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
(marked with wavy lines or convolutions); the genus was based on the type species
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
Gyromitra esculenta. Later, in 1886, French mycologist Lucien Quélet
Lucien Quélet
thumb|Lucien QuéletLucien Quélet was a French mycologist and naturalist who discovered several species and was the founder of the Société mycologique de France, a society devoted to mycological studies....
transferred the species to Gyromitra. The next few decades witnessed some lingering confusion as to the correct taxonomical placement of these fungi. In 1907, Jean Boudier
Jean Louis Émile Boudier
Jean Louis Émile Boudier was a pharmacist who lived in Montmorency, France. He published a fair amount about the Discomycetes and other areas of mycology...
moved both G. esculenta and H. infula into a newly created genus he called Physomitra; he retained the genus Gyromitra but "based it on an entirely different character so as to exclude from the genus the very species on which it was founded". In an attempt to reconcile the confusion surrounding the naming and identity of the two mushrooms, Fred J. Seaver proposed that both were synonymous, representing variable forms of the same species. His suggestion was not adopted by later mycologists, who identified various differences between the two species, including fruiting time as well as macroscopic and microscopic differences.
The 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...
name is derived from the Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
words gyros/γυρος "round" and mitra/μιτρα "headband"; the specific epithet is from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
infǔla, a heavy band of twisted wool worn by Roman officiants at sacrifices. It is known more commonly as the elfin saddle or the hooded false morel. Additionally, G. infula is a member of a group of fungi collectively known as "false morel
False morel
Gyromitra esculenta , one of several species of fungi known as false morels, is an ascomycete fungus from the genus Gyromitra, widely distributed across Europe and North America. It normally sprouts in sandy soils under coniferous trees in spring and early summer...
s", so named for their resemblance to the highly regarded edible true morels
Morel
Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them....
of the genus Morchella. This group includes other species of the genus Gyromitra, such as G. esculenta (brain mushroom), G. caroliniana
Gyromitra caroliniana
Gyromitra caroliniana, known colloquially as big red in Missouri and Kansas, is an ascomycete fungus of the genus Gyromitra, found in the southeastern United States. Growing to large sizes, it is found in spring and is collected and eaten by some. However, there is some suggestion it may contain...
(beefsteak mushroom) and G. gigas
Gyromitra gigas
Gyromitra gigas, commonly known as the snow morel, snow false morel, calf brain, or bull nose, is a fungus and a member of the Ascomycota. G. gigas is found in Europe, western North America where it is common in mountainous areas in coniferous forests, and eastern North America where it is found...
(snow morel).
Description
The capPileus (mycology)
The pileus is the technical name for the cap, or cap-like part, of a basidiocarp or ascocarp that supports a spore-bearing surface, the hymenium. The hymenium may consist of lamellae, tubes, or teeth, on the underside of the pileus...
of the fruit body (technically an apothecium) is up to 12 cm (4.7 in) high by 10 cm (3.9 in) wide and is reddish brown, and somewhat saddle-shaped with 2–4 lobes. It frequently develops blackish-brown spots on the surface. During the development of the mushroom, the periphery of the cap grows into the stipe
Stipe (mycology)
thumb|150px|right|Diagram of a [[basidiomycete]] stipe with an [[annulus |annulus]] and [[volva |volva]]In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal...
below, to form a hollow, roughly bell-shaped structure with the fertile spore-bearing surface (the hymenium
Hymenium
The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others some cells develop into sterile cells called cystidia or...
) on the outside; as the surface growth of the hymenium continues to expand even after joining to the stipe, the hymenium can no longer follow and it arches up into folds and pads. The stipe, typically between 2 – high and 1 – thick, can be various colors from reddish brown to whitish or even bluish, but is typically lighter colored than the cap. The stipe is minutely tomentose
Tomentose
Tomentose is a term used to describe plant hairs that are flattened and matted, forming a woolly coating known as tomentum. Often the hairs are silver or gray-colored...
– covered with a layer of very fine hairs. The context
Trama (mycology)
In mycology trama is a term for the inner, fleshy portion of a mushroom's basidiocarp, or fruit body. It is distinct from the outer layer of tissue, known as the pileipellis or cuticle, and from the spore-bearing tissue layer known as the hymenium....
is thin (1–2 mm) and brittle. G. infula does not have any appreciable odor or taste.
Microscopic characteristics
AscosporeAscospore
An ascospore is a spore contained in an ascus or that was produced inside an ascus. This kind of spore is specific to fungi classified as ascomycetes ....
s are ellipsoidal in shape, hyaline
Hyaline
The term hyaline denotes a substance with a glass-like appearance.-Histopathology:In histopathological medical usage, a hyaline substance appears glassy and pink after being stained with haematoxylin and eosin — usually it is an acellular, proteinaceous material...
, smooth, thin-walled, with dimensions of 17–22 by 7–9 µm
Micrometre
A micrometer , is by definition 1×10-6 of a meter .In plain English, it means one-millionth of a meter . Its unit symbol in the International System of Units is μm...
. They are also biguttulate, containing two large oil droplets at either end. The spore-producing cells, the asci
Ascus
An ascus is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. On average, asci normally contain eight ascospores, produced by a meiotic cell division followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or species can number one , two, four, or multiples...
, are roughly cylindrical, eight-spored, operculate (opening by an apical lid to discharge the spores) and have dimensions of 200–350 by 12–17 |µm. The diameter of the club-shaped paraphyses
Paraphyses
Paraphyses are part of the fertile spore-bearing layer in certain fungi. More specifically, paraphyses are sterile filamentous hyphal end cells composing part of the hymenium of Ascomycota and Basidiomycota interspersed among either the asci or basidia respectively, and not sufficiently...
is 7–10 µm at the apex.
Edibility
This fungus is inedible, as it contains the toxic compound gyromitrinGyromitrin
Gyromitrin is a toxin and carcinogen present in several members of the fungal genus Gyromitra, most notably the false morel G. esculenta. It is unstable and is easily hydrolyzed to the toxic compound monomethylhydrazine, a component of some rocket fuels. Monomethylhydrazine acts on the central...
, which when digested is metabolized into monomethylhydrazine
Monomethylhydrazine
Monomethylhydrazine is a volatile hydrazine chemical with the chemical formula CH3 NH2. It is used as a rocket propellant in bipropellant rocket engines because it is hypergolic with various oxidizers such as nitrogen tetroxide and nitric acid...
, a major component of rocket fuel. Although much of the gyromitrin may be removed by parboiling with generous volumes of water, consumption is not advisable due to possible long-term health effects—there is evidence that even small doses of gyromitrin may have a cumulative carcinogenic effect.
Similar species
Gyromitra esculenta has a wrinkled surface (similar to brainlike convolutions), not wavy or bumpy like G. infula. Gyromitra ambiguaGyromitra ambigua
Gyromitra ambigua is an ascomycete fungus of the genus Gyromitra, and related to the false morel G. esculenta. It belongs to the Pezizales order. The species is found in North America, where it produces fruit bodies that grow on the ground...
is very similar in appearance, and although it is usually not possible to discern between the two species without examining microscopic characteristics, G. ambigua is said to have more pronounced purple tints in the stipe. G. ambigua has larger spores that are about 22–30 µm long. The saddle-shaped cap of G. infula might also lead to confusion with some species of 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....
, but these latter fungi typically have grayer colors and thinner, fluted stipes.
Habitat and distribution
This fungus can be found growing singly to scattered in or near coniferous woodland in autumn, often on rotten wood. It is also commonly found on packed ground, such as beside country roads, or in campgrounds. Associated conifers include Picea glauca, Picea mariana, Picea sitchensis, Pinus contorta, Pinus banksiana, Pinus monticola, Abies balsamea, Abies grandis, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, Larix occidentalis, Thuja plicataThuja plicata
Thuja plicata, commonly called Western or pacific red cedar, giant or western arborvitae, giant cedar, or shinglewood, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America...
, as well as the deciduous tree species Populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera, commonly called balsam poplar, bamtree, eastern balsam poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca,...
, Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides
Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, and Quakies,. The trees have tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden...
, Acer macrophyllum, Alnus species, and Betula papyrifera.
Gyromitra infula is widely distributed throughout boreal
Taiga
Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
, montane
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
and coastal forests in North America. The North American range extends north to Canada and south to Mexico. It has also been reported from South America, Europe, and Asia.
External links
- Mushroom Observer Photographs