| Major Groups > Saddles > Helvella latispora |
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Helvella latispora [ Ascomycetes > Pezizales > Helvellaceae > Helvella . . . ] by Michael Kuo This Helvella species takes on several different shapes in the course of its development. At first it looks rather like a cup fungus with a curled up margin--but by maturity it has acquired a saddle-shaped or three-lobed appearance, often with a deep cleft or "sinus," reminiscent of Gyromitra infula. Crucial identifying features include the cap shape (or shapes, if we are to account for its developmental stages), the pale colors, the whitish stem that is not grooved or pot-holed, the fuzzy undersurface of the cap, the tendency to fruit in late spring or early summer, and spore size. Edibility is not known for Helvella latispora; it should not be considered for the table. Description: Ecology: Officially saprobic, but I would guess that it has the potential to be mycorrhizal as well; growing scattered or gregariously under hardwoods; often along paths and roads or in disturbed soil; appearing from late spring and early summer to fall; widely distributed in North America. Cap: 1-4 cm across; 1-4.5 cm high; at first cup-shaped with the margin curled upwards; in maturity saddle-shaped with a deep cleft or "sinus," or with three lobes, or lobed and irregular; fertile surface smooth, tan to buff or whitish; sterile surface fuzzy, whitish, rarely ingrown with the stem where contact occurs. Stem: 1-6 cm long (rarely up to 13 cm long); 2-10 mm thick; more or less equal; smooth or somewhat fuzzy; hollow; whitish. Flesh: Thin; brittle; whitish. Taste: Not distinctive; odor not distinctive. Spore Print: White. Microscopic Features: Spores 17.5-20 x 11-13.5 µ; elliptical; inamyloid; smooth. Asci 8-spored; 14-16 µ wide. Helvella stevensii is a synonym. REFERENCES: Boudier, 1898. (Weber, 1972; Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Abbott & Currah, 1997.) Herb. FMP 06120305, 05210401. |
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Cite this page as: Kuo, M. (2005, January). Helvella latispora. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/helvella_latispora.html |