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Helvella crispa

 
Helvella Crispa

 
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Helvella crispa
 
 
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Helvella crispa, also known as the White saddle, Elfin saddle or Common helvel, is an ascomycete
Ascomycota

The Ascomycota are a Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya, whose members are commonly known as the Sac Fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 30,000 species....
 fungus
Fungus

A fungus is a Eukaryote organism that is a member of the Kingdom Fungi . The fungi are a monophyletic group, also called the Eumycota , that is phylogeny distinct from the morphologically similar slime molds and water molds ....
 of the Helvellaceae
Helvellaceae

The Helvellaceae are a family of Ascomycota fungi, the best known members of which are the elfin saddles of the genus Helvella. Originally erected by Elias Magnus Fries in 1823 as Elvellacai, it contained many genera....
 family. The mushroom
Mushroom

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, hence the word mushroom is most often applied to those fungi that have a stem , a cap , and gills on the unde...
 is readily identified by its irregularly shaped whitish cap, fluted stem
Stipe (mycology)

In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the pileus of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphae tissue....
, and fuzzy undersurfaces. It is found in eastern North America and in Europe, near deciduous and trees in summer and autumn.

fungus was originally described by the naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli
Giovanni Antonio Scopoli

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli was a Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentinoean physician and natural history....
.






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Helvella crispa, also known as the White saddle, Elfin saddle or Common helvel, is an ascomycete
Ascomycota

The Ascomycota are a Phylum of the kingdom Fungi, and subkingdom Dikarya, whose members are commonly known as the Sac Fungi. They are the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 30,000 species....
 fungus
Fungus

A fungus is a Eukaryote organism that is a member of the Kingdom Fungi . The fungi are a monophyletic group, also called the Eumycota , that is phylogeny distinct from the morphologically similar slime molds and water molds ....
 of the Helvellaceae
Helvellaceae

The Helvellaceae are a family of Ascomycota fungi, the best known members of which are the elfin saddles of the genus Helvella. Originally erected by Elias Magnus Fries in 1823 as Elvellacai, it contained many genera....
 family. The mushroom
Mushroom

A mushroom is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its food source. The standard for the name "mushroom" is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus, hence the word mushroom is most often applied to those fungi that have a stem , a cap , and gills on the unde...
 is readily identified by its irregularly shaped whitish cap, fluted stem
Stipe (mycology)

In mycology a stipe refers to the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the pileus of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphae tissue....
, and fuzzy undersurfaces. It is found in eastern North America and in Europe, near deciduous and trees in summer and autumn.

Etymology

The fungus was originally described by the naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli
Giovanni Antonio Scopoli

Giovanni Antonio Scopoli was a Euroregion Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentinoean physician and natural history....
. Its specific epithet is Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 adjective crispa 'wrinkled' or 'curly'. The generic name was originally a type of Italian herb but became associated with morels.

Description

Helvella crispa is creamy white in colour, 6-13 cm (2½-5 in) in length, with a cap
Pileus (mycology)

The pileus is the technical name for what is commonly known as the cap of a fungal fruiting body. It is particularly characteristic of agarics, boletes, and some polypores, tooth fungi, and ascocarps....
 2-5 cm (1-2 in) in diameter. It is striking due to its irregularly-shaped lobes on the cap, but with a robust creamy-white base (2-8×1-2.5 cm in size). Its flesh in thin and brittle. The stem is 3-10 cm (1¼-4 in) long, white or pinkish in colour and ornately ribbed. It gives off a pleasant aroma, but is not edible raw. The spore print is white, the oval spores average 19 x 11.5 µm. Occasionally white capped forms are found. It can be distinguished from occasional white forms of Helvella lacunosa
Helvella lacunosa

Helvella lacunosa, also known as the slate grey saddle or fluted black elfin saddle, is an Ascomycota fungus of the Helvellaceae family....
 by its furry cap undersurface and inrolled margins when young.

Distribution and habitat

Helvella crispa grows in grass as well as in humid hardwoods, such as beech
Beech

Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe and North America.The leaf of beech trees are entire or sparsely toothed, from 5–15 cm long and 4–10 cm broad....
, (not so well in resinous ones) along the side of pathways, in hedges and on the talus of meadows. They can be spotted from the end of summer until the end of autumn.

It is found in Europe and eastern North America, though is replaced by the related Helvella lacunosa
Helvella lacunosa

Helvella lacunosa, also known as the slate grey saddle or fluted black elfin saddle, is an Ascomycota fungus of the Helvellaceae family....
 in western parts.

Edibility

Although some guidebooks list this species as edible, the genus is now regarded with suspicion by many. Research has established this species contains methylhydrazine, which can cause severe sporadic intoxications, and may be carcinogenic. It has been reported to cause gastrointestinal symptoms when eaten raw.

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