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Gyromitra: The False Morels  

[ Ascomycetes > Pezizales > Discinaceae . . . ]

by Michael Kuo

Species in the genus Gyromitra vary widely in appearance. Some species are cup-shaped and have rudimentary stems (most of these were placed in the now-defunct genus Discina until recently). Other species are more familiar, especially to morel hunters, and these mushrooms are often collectively referred to as the "false morels." They have well developed stems, and their oddly shaped caps are generally reddish brown to yellowish brown. When sliced open, they are not completely hollow--and this is the best way to distinguish them from the morels, which are hollow. This is an important distinction, since false morels are poisonous, and none of them should be eaten. See the page on Mushroom Toxins and my book Morels (2005) for more information.

DNA research by O'Donnell and others (1997) placed Gyromitra in the Discinaceae family, and supported the idea that the cup-like species of Discina belong in Gyromitra. However, the study did not attempt to resolve questions at the species level. Since the false morels are poorly known in North America, the dozen or so species that have been named should in my view be seen as tentative indicators of potential species groups until they are more thoroughly documented and studied.

 		 

Gyromitra esculenta

Gyromitra perlata

Gyromitra infula


Key to 13 Species of Gyromitra in North America  


1.Mushroom more or less cup-shaped; without a well defined stem, or with a rudimentary stem structure. (Microscopic analysis will be required to identify species in this group).
2

1.Mushroom not cup shaped; stem well developed. (Microscopic analysis not required in order to identify most species.)
5


2.Upper surface grayish brown to dark brown; spores 10-14.5 x 7-9.5 µ, lacking apiculi (use a water mount).
Gyromitra melaleucoides

2.Upper surface usually (not always) a version of brown with more red or orange than above; spores much longer than above, often with prominent apiculi (when viewed in a water mount).
3


3.Apiculi of mature spores appearing scooped-out, like a camel's back.

3.Apiculi absent or, if present, pointed or broadly rounded.
4


4.Apiculi of mature spores pointed.

4.Apiculi absent or, if present, broadly rounded.
Gyromitra olympiana


5.Cap 2- or 3-lobed; found in fall.
6

5.Cap not as above; found in spring or in summer at very high elevations (near the tree line).
7


6.Cap brownish to orange-brown; spores 17-23 µ long.

6.Cap reddish to purplish red; spores 21-30 µ long.


7.Stem slender.
8

7.Stem fat.
10


8.Cap brainlike, convoluted, reddish; stem without sharp ribs.

8.Cap cushionlike, brownish; stem with sharp ribs.
9


9.Western; terrestrial; spores elliptical.

9.Northern and western; on wood; spores round.


10.Cap squarish; northern, central, and western ( = "Gyromitra gigas," in the wide sense).
11

10.Cap not squarish; central and southern.
12


11.Spores with knobbed ends.

11.Spores without knobs.


12.Cap with ribs and cross-ribs, never lobed; undersurface never exposed.

12.Cap without ribs and cross-ribs, irregularly lobed; undersurface often exposed in places.



References

Abbott, S. O. & Currah, R. S. (1997). The Helvellaceae: Systematic revision and occurrence in northern and northwestern North America. Mycotaxon 62: 1-125.

Batra, L. R. (1976). Helvella and Gyromitra (Pezizales: Operculatae) in the southern Appalachians. In B. C. Parker & M. K. Roane, eds. Distributional history of the biota of the southern Appalachians. Part IV. Algae & fungi: biogeography, systematics and ecology. Charlottesville, Virginia: University Press of Virginia. 145-204.

Breitenbach, J. & Kränzlin, F. (1984). Fungi of Switzerland: A contribution to the knowledge of the fungal flora of Switzerland. Volume 1 Ascomycetes. Transl. Walters, V. L. & Walters, J. F. Lucern: Verlag Mykologia. 310 pp.

Harmaja, H. (1969). A neglected species, Gyromitra ambigua (Karst.) Harmaja, n. comb., and G. infula s. str. in Fennoscandia. Karstenia 9: 13-19.

Harmaja, H. (1973). Amendments of the limits of the genera Gyromitra and Pseudorhizina, with the description of a new species, Gyromitra montana. Karstenia 13: 48-58.

Kanouse, B. B. (1946). Some studies in the genus Helvella. Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters 32: 83-90.

Kuo, M. (2005). Morels. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

McKnight, K. H. (1969). A note on Discina. Mycologia 61: 614-630.

McKnight, K. H. (1973). Two misunderstood species of Gyromitra (false morel) in North America. The Michigan Botanist 12: 147-162.

O'Donnell, K. O., et al. (1997). Phylogenetic relationships among ascomycetous truffles and the true and false morels inferred from 18S and 28S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis. Mycologia 89: 48-65.

Raitviir, A. (1970). Once more on Neogyromitra caroliniana. Transactions of the Tartu State University 268, Papers on Botany 9: 364-373.

Weber, N. S. (1995). A morel hunter's companion: A guide to true and false morels. Michigan: Thunder Bay Press. 209 pp.



Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2006, December). Gyromitra: The false morels. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/gyromitra.html

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