The West Coast version of Gyromitra infula (see the bottom three illustrations) tends to get larger than its eastern counterpart, and seems more prone to 3-lobed and odd-ball manifestations. Additionally, this western mushroom is sometimes found growing terrestrially, while the eastern version is almost always found growing on wood.

Weber (1995) calls this mushroom the "Elfin Saddle," a common name also used by some authors to refer to species of Helvella.

This mushroom is not a safe edible. See the page on Mushroom Toxins for further information.

Description (Gyromitra infula):

Ecology: Officially saprobic, but potentially also mycorrhizal--or, like the true morels, donning both ecological hats in the course of its life cycle; found on the ground and on rotting wood; widely distributed in North America.

Cap: 3-12 cm; occasionally cup-shaped when young, becoming lobed with two prominently raised lobes (rarely with 3 or 4 lobes); not brainlike; color extremely variable (tan to yellowish brown to reddish brown to dark brown); underside paler, sometimes ingrown with stem where contact occurs.

Flesh: Thin and brittle; insubstantial or chambered.

Stem: 1-12 cm; not ribbed; colored like the cap or paler, frequently whitish.

Microscopic Features: Spores 17-23 x 7-10 µ; oblong to elliptical; with two large oil droplets, including a blunt apiculus at each end.

REFERENCES: (Schaeffer, 1770: Fries, 1822) Quelet, 1886. (Smith, Smith & Weber, 1981; Arora, 1986; States, 1990; Phillips, 1991/2005; Lincoff, 1992; Weber 1995; Abbott & Currah, 1997; Evenson, 1997; Barron, 1999; Kuo, 2005.) Herb. FMP 09039401, 09110413.