Gyromitra Sp. - False Morel

• Family: Discinaceae ^{[IntrotoFun3],[E-flora]}

"Dangerously poisonous false morels (Gyromitra species) vaguely resemble morels. They are easy to tell from morels, though, because they have wrinkled or gnarled caps instead of the coarse honeycomb or netlike patterns of morel caps." ^{[FGWMP Russell]} Gyromitra grow on soil and hummus ^{[Chang BCEM]} "Mycologists disagree on the number of species of False Morels." ^[CEPMNE]

Gyromitra esculenta Gyromitra esculenta

Gyromitra infula

Gyromitra infula   Confirmed Local Sp. Gyromitra ambigua (Not specifically mentioned as being on Vancouver Island)[E-flora] Gyromitra californica - California false morel [E-flora] Gyromitra esculenta - False Morel [E-flora][2] Gyromitra infula - Saddle-shaped False Morel [E-flora][2]

Identification

Gyromitra esculenta - False Morel

• Summary: "Features include very convoluted, yellow brown to red brown cap, slightly grooved stem that is whitish to cap-colored, and fruiting in spring. Despite its name, Gyromitra esculenta can be very poisonous when eaten raw, although toxicity varies with the individual, and certain individuals who have eaten Gyromitra mushrooms without effect have had severe reactions on another exposure. In a 1967 report of 513 cases of this kind of poisoning, 14% were fatal. Gyromitra esculenta contains hydrazones such as gyromitrin with chemical name N-methyl-N-formylhydrazone acetaldehyde, which is metabolized to what appear to be the major toxin, monomethylhydrazine (that has been used as a rocket fuel). Much but not all of this becomes a vapor during cooking and can be poisonous as vapor. Poisoning starts between 2 and 24 hours and may start with vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and headache. Sometimes there is fever. Liver toxicity occurs about 36-48 hours, and then neurological symptoms including seizures and coma. Sometimes there is intravascular hemolysis, kidney failure, or methemoglobinemia. With lower doses, there is still concern that these mushrooms are carcinogenic. (Benjamin, from "Despite"). Collections of Gyromitra esculenta were examined from BC, WA, OR, ID, and also AB, MB, ON, PQ, YT, AK, WY, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, United Kingdom, Norway, and Sweden (Abbott). It is also reported from Asia (Abbott)." ^[E-flora]
• Cap: "2-10cm, rounded or sometimes more or less flat or saddle-shaped, irregularly three- to five-lobed; sometimes yellowish to yellowish brown, more commonly light to dark reddish brown and becoming darker on drying; sometimes nearly smooth, but typically strongly wrinkled to folded into many convolutions and appearing more or less brain-like, (Ammirati(11)), 0.5-9cm across, 0.5-5.5cm high, up to 14 x 11cm when fresh, irregularly lobed, highly convoluted, margin reflexed, fused to stem in several locations, rarely free when young; medium to dark red brown, sometimes orange brown or with paler red to orange brown regions, dark red brown to blackish red brown when dry, (Abbott), "varies from dull red to rusty red, reddish brown, or darker brown, sometimes with yellow or orange tints", when old often black, (Trudell)." ^[E-flora] "The cap is more brainlike than that of a morel. It has wrinkles and folds, is not honeycomb-like, and lacks true pits. If you slice the cap of a false morel from top to bottom, you will find it to be multichambered, unlike the true morel, which has a single hollow chamber continuous with the stalk." ^{[EPMW Hall]}
• Flesh: "rather thin and brittle, (Arora), whitish to pallid (Ammirati(11))." ^[E-flora]
• Underside: "paler than outer surface of cap, (Arora), white to pale yellow brown or pale red brown, finely pubescent, (Abbott)." ^[E-flora]
• Stem: "2-15cm x 1-2.5cm, often widening downward and enlarged at base, more or less round in cross-section, often longitudinally grooved, hollow, typically with a single channel; white to pale brown or tinted the color of the cap, (Ammirati(11)), 0.5-9cm x 0.3-3cm, 4in long and 7cm wide fresh, equal, enlarged at base, or tapered to base, slightly to strongly fluted at base or along entire stem, often round in cross-section when young, solid or with hollow chambers; cream, yellow brown, or red brown, typically with strong purple tints; pubescent (with finely hairs), (Abbott), tinted with cap color "but often also with pinkish or grayish purple tones near the base", (Trudell), stuffed or hollow (or with two narrow hollows) in cross-section, smooth or grooved vertically but not ribbed, (Arora)." ^[E-flora]
• Odor: mild (Ammirati(11)). ^[E-flora]
• Taste: mild (Ammirati(11)). ^[E-flora]
• Spore Deposit: white to ochraceous (Abbott).^[E-flora]
• Microscopic: "spores 16.7-23.4 x 7.3-9.4 microns, elliptic, smooth, 8 spores per ascus, (Ammirati(11)), spores (17)19.1-28 x 10-13.1(14) microns, elliptic to subfusoid (somewhat spindle-shaped), smooth, with 2 droplets, apiculus absent or apices slightly thickened to 1 micron; asci 180-220 x 15-17 microns; paraphyses 2-9(10) microns diameter at apex, clavate, gradually enlarging or abruptly swollen, pale brown, brown in mass, contents granular, apical cell 39-77 microns long, (Abbott)." ^[E-flora]
• Similar Species: "like G. infula and G. ambigua but G. esculenta more convoluted, fruits in spring and differs microscopically. Gyromitra montana has an irregular hollow stem with several internal anastomosing channels, whereas the hollow stem of Gyromitra esculenta is more or less round in cross-section, typically with one internal channel, or sometimes somewhat flattened with two internal channels." ^[E-flora]
• Habitat / Range: "single, gregarious, subcespitose [somewhat tufted], or scattered on ground in soil, litter, woody debris, occasionally on well-rotted wood or burnt debris, under conifers or in mixed woods, in spring, (Abbott), typically found with conifers, especially pine, but has also been reported with aspen, (Ammirati(11)), March to May, (Phillips), on ground in disturbed or undisturbed mixed conifer and hardwood forests and occasionally in urban lawns, (Castellano), "associated with conifers and hardwoods and may be found on soil or rotten wood"; spring or early summer, (Trudell)."^[E-flora] Britain. ^[MMCT] "...the False Morel, Gyromitra esculenta and the Early Morel,Verpa bohemica, precede Morels by two or more weeks. " ^{[GGMM Stamets]}

Gyromitra infula - Saddle-shaped false morel

• Summary: "Features include a saddle-shaped to 2-lobed or irregularly lobed cap that is yellow-brown to orange brown, with the edge curved down on one horizontal axis and up on the horizontal axis at right angles, and both fused to itself (to form the saddle) and fused to stem; white to pale brown downy underside; pallid pinkish cream to grayish purple brown downy stem that is round in cross-section or often fluted at base; growth under conifers (especially spruce) or on conifer wood; and narrowly elliptic spores with two droplets and no apiculi. Harmaja described Gyromitra columbiana in 1986 from BC, and separated it from G. infula "based on the densely folded hymenium and large clavate paraphyses" and from G. esculenta "based primarily on smaller ascospores", but the description seems consistent with G. infula, (Abbott). Gyromitra species can be very poisonous when eaten raw, although toxicity varies with the individual, and certain individuals who have eaten Gyromitra mushrooms without effect have had severe reactions on another exposure. In a 1967 report of 513 cases of this kind of poisoning, 14% were fatal. Gyromitra infula is probably like Gyromitra esculenta in containing gyromitrin (and other hydrazones), which is metabolized to what appear to be the major toxin, monomethylhydrazine (that has been used as a rocket fuel). Much but not all of this becomes a vapor during cooking and can be poisonous as vapor. Poisoning starts between 2 and 24 hours and may start with vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and headache. Sometimes there is fever. Liver toxicity occurs at about 36-48 hours, and then neurological symptoms including seizures and coma. Sometimes there is intravascular hemolysis, kidney failure, or methemoglobinemia. With lower doses, there is still concern that these mushrooms are carcinogenic. (Benjamin from “Despite”). Collections examined from BC, WA, ID, AB, MB, NWT, SK, AK, CA, MT, NY, WY, Costa Rica, Slovakia, and Sweden, and G. infula has been reported also from OR, eastern North America, Europe, and Asia, (Abbott). Distribution also includes MI (Castellano) and Switzerland (Breitenbach)." ^[E-flora]2
• Cap: "1.7-8cm across, 2.5-7cm high, (up to 13cm across and 9.5cm high when fresh), saddle-shaped to irregularly lobed, often 2-lobed, margin typically fused to stem and along cap margin; when fresh yellow-brown to orange-brown, sometimes dark red-brown when old, when dry dark brown to red-brown or blackish brown; typically undulate-rugose [wavy-wrinkled], "but sometimes wrinkled-convoluted or nearly smooth", (Abbott), 3-10cm across, "saddle-shaped or 3-lobed, with an incurved margin; reddish brown to dark brown; wrinkled to convoluted", (Phillips), up to 12cm high and 14cm wide, more or less regularly miter-like already when young, rarely with 3 lobes, very rarely irregularly lobate without distinct horns; "indistinctly hygrophanous, mostly red-brown when wet", sometimes darker, "when dry pale brown to blackish brown, very rarely with a slight violet tint, very often whitish hoary from discharged spores", the outer edge of the lobes "is seamed from top down to the margin of the cap"; surface most often even but not infrequently irregularly rugose [wrinkled] "and with mostly minute folds", (Harmaja(6)), sometimes cup-shaped when very young" ^[E-flora]2
• Flesh: "brittle (Phillips), fragile; whitish, (Breitenbach), rather thin, brittle, (Arora), breaks cheese-like everywhere, in the stem less brittle than in the cap; pale, (Harmaja(6))" ^[E-flora]2
• Underside: "white to pale brown; pubescent, (Abbott), paler than upper surface, minutely velvety, (Arora)"^[E-flora]2
• Stem: "0.9-9.0 x 0.5-3cm (up to 11cm long and 6cm wide when fresh), equal or enlarged at base, round in cross-section or often fluted at base; pallid pinkish cream to grayish purple brown; pubescent, (Abbott), 1-6cm long and 2cm wide, hollow, sometimes irregular; whitish to buff, (Phillips), white or tinted pinkish red; white mycelium at base, (Trudell), 3-12cm x 1.5-3cm, equal, cylindric and solid when young, later becoming hollow "and the walls often growing together so that it becomes more or less compressed when old"; indistinctly hygrophanous, pale brown to grayish lilac, "of other colour and paler than the hymenium"; surface fluffy throughout with very short pallid hairs; at the base "there is sparsely whitish tomentum"; cap is attached to stem only at the margin and stem accordingly "continues as a distinct columella in the hollow cap", (Harmaja(6))" ^[E-flora]2
• Odor: faint mushroomy (Lincoff(1)), not distinct (Harmaja) ^[E-flora]2
• Taste: faint mushroomy (Lincoff(1)), mild (Harmaja) ^[E-flora]2
• Spore Deposit: white to pale cream (Abbott), slightly yellowish (Harmaja(6)) ^[E-flora]2
• Habitat / Range: "single, gregarious, subcespitose [somewhat tufted], or scattered on ground or more often on rotted coniferous wood or hardwood in coniferous or mixed woods, rarely in hardwood woods, from July 15 to Feb 17 in BC, with the majority of collections in August, September, and October, (Abbott), single to scattered on humus and rotting wood or debris, (Phillips), in most locations fruits in late summer and fall, but in CA winter and early spring, (Arora), July to October in the east, November to April in the west, (Lincoff(2)), single or in groups near conifers (spruce almost always present) "from grass-herb rich forests to dry heath forests, very often in decaying wood" (mostly of Picea, rarely Pinus or Betula), otherwise especially on bare soil, "sometimes on burnt areas, very rarely even among charcoal", often where the ground has been disturbed, for example by roads and paths, mostly below 200m and not above 500m, from latter half of August to mid-November, (Harmaja(6) for Fennoscandia), also occurs before July in BC and WA" ^[E-flora]2
• Similar Species: "Gyromitra ambigua tends to be darker red-brown with stronger violaceous tints, and has apiculate spores that are subfusoidal and 21-30 microns long, (Abbott). G. ambigua 1) has a more or less distinct violet tinge, especially when fresh, 2) the fruitbody is smaller on average, 3) the cap usually darker (even black when dry, brownish hoary when dry from discharged spores rather than whitish), 4) the hymenium is more often wrinkled (it is smooth when young and sometimes later too but with age it often becomes irregularly wrinkled), 5) the seam at the outer side of the lobes of the cap seems to be less prominent and tighter, 6) habitat favors pines (perhaps always associated at least in Europe) and poor sandy soil whereas G. infula occurs on less poor sites, especially near Picea and often in decaying wood, 7) distribution is more northern and favors higher altitudes, 8) fruiting season is on the average some weeks earlier where both occur, 9) most importantly, since "the macroscopic features alone very often do not permit a positive identification", the spores are different - the spores of G. ambigua "are longer (even without the perispore), broader, the true spore apex is narrower and the spores thus more clearly fusiform, and the perispore is more inflated at the spore apices", 10) the paraphyses enlarge more gradually to the apex, "which is somewhat narrower on the average". (Harmaja(6)). Gyromitra esculenta fruits in spring, has a large convoluted head that is medium to dark red brown or orange brown, and spore size and apiculation are different, (Abbott). Helvellas with non-fluted stems usually have more slender stems, and the color of the cap generally different, (Arora)."^[E-flora]-2

Hazards

• Poisonous:
  • Gyromitra esculenta; dangerously poisonous, at least raw, (Arora). ^[E-flora] "Though many people still eat Gyromitra esculenta, the large number of cases found where there was liver and/or kidney damage will, we hope, lead individuals to cease this practice." ^{[30yearspoisonings]} "in spring... large numbers of the edible false morel (Gyromitra esculenta) can be found. Although this morel is edible and collected and marketed commercially, it must first be repeatedly boiled in order to remove a toxin called ‘gyromitrin’. When consumed in sufficient quantities this toxin can cause headaches and nausea, and eventually liver failure and death." ^{[AB Cunningham]}
  • Gyromitra infula; poisonous (Benjamin, Phillips).^[E-flora]2 Gyromitra infula (Helvella infula), - False Morel (Poisonous). Spring, summer, and fall. ^{[CEPMNE Fergus]} "...deadly poisonous when eaten raw." ^{[EPMW Hall]} "the hooded false morel (G. infula), which is common throughout North America, derives another common name, saddle-shaped false morel, from its characteristic saddle-shaped to three-lobed cap."^{[EPMW Hall]}

Edible Uses

• Edibility:
  • Gyromitra esculenta; "...the false morel, was formerly also widely consumed but, following a series of often fatal mushroom poisonings, was eventually found to contain the heat-labile toxin gyromitrin." ^{[IntrotoFun3]} "...perfectly safe when cooked or dried but has caused serious accidents and even death when eaten raw." ^{[PF Ramsbottom]} "In parts of Eastern Europe it is eaten after boiling, discarding the water and re-cooking, but even then may produce cumulative toxic effects." ^[TheFungi2] "In Finland it is a delicacy and is also widely eaten in the Russian Federation and neighboring regions. In other countries it is said to be poisonous and can kill when raw. The toxic properties are mitigated by suitable preparation prior to eating" ^[WEFGO] "...considered one of the choice edible spring mushrooms both in Europe and America, and for many years great quantities of it have been gathered and sold in the public markets of France and Germany. Within the last decade, however, its sale has been banned in a number of cities because it was proved beyond all doubt to have occasioned several deaths from poisoning." ^{[Clyde M. Christensen]}

Other Use

• Morel season indicator: "...the False Morel, Gyromitra esculenta and the Early Morel,Verpa bohemica, precede Morels by two or more weeks." ^{[GGMM Stamets]}

Toxicology

"The species name, esculenta, refers to the excellent edibility of the fungus... the fact remains that in both Europe and America it has been known with certainty to have caused fatal poisoning. Many of these cases have been too well authenticated to permit reasonable doubt as to the identity of the fungus responsible. Such cases are rare... and most.. have occurred among people who were sick or undernourished. ..." ^{[Clyde M. Christensen]}

Gyromitra esculenta; "Although the false morel Gyromitra esculenta is eaten dried or boiled in some countries, the fresh mushroom is poisonous. Raw or incompletely cooked material has caused fatal cases of food poisoning. The major toxin is gyromitrin...It is accompanied by smaller amounts of the N-methyl-N-formylhydrazones of other aldehydes such as propanal, 3-methylbutanal and hexanal. They are present at a typical level of 57 mg kg–1. Boiling for 10 min reduces this to 1 mg kg–1. Gyromitrin exerts its toxicity by methylating DNA." ^[ChemoFungi]

Gyromitra esculenta; "there is a peculiar mystery about the gyromitra esculenta, a common species much eaten (as its name suggests) in Europe. Certain it is that at intervals cases occur where an individual dies from it.... It seems that everyone may eat this tasty mushroom with impunity for the first time. But there are rare individuals who, if they return to a mess of the same species shortly thereafter, and if the mushrooms are fresh rather than dried, suffer a dangerous and even fatal anaphylactic shock." ^{[RussMush 1]}

"Gyromitrin syndrome. Symptoms begin two to twenty-four hours after ingestion and can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, coma, convulsions, delirium, fever, headache, restlessness, respiratory failure, and liver damage leading to jaundice. Kidney failure may also occur, and death is possible in severe cases. The breakdown products of gyromitrin are hydrazines, which are carcinogenic; however, there is no evidence that these cause cancer in humans." ^{[EPMW Hall]}

"The poisoning is usually attributed to helvellic acid which acts on the red blood-corpuscles, and the symptoms recorded for earlier cases support this view. However, numerous poisonings, particularly in Germany, have shown that the action is not simple haemolysis, but its true nature still remains in doubt. Large quantities of the raw fungus are exported annually from Poland principally to Germany. The factory workers suffer from eye trouble either from the spores of the fungus or from irritation by poison on the fingers." ^{[PF Ramsbottom]}

Brief Summaries of Species not Detailed

Gyromitra ambigua

• Summary: "Features include saddle-shaped to 2-lobed or irregularly lobed cap that is red-brown to dark red brown, most often with violet tints, with edge curved down on one horizontal axis and up on the horizontal axis at right angles, and both fused to itself (to form the saddle) and fused to stem, white to cream or light red-brown downy underside, pale pinkish cream to purple brown downy stem that often has violaceous tints, the stem round in cross-section or fluted at base, growth under conifers (especially pine) or on conifer wood, and somewhat spindle-shaped spores with two droplets and distinct or indistinct apiculi. Gyromitra species can be very poisonous when eaten raw, although toxicity varies with the individual, and certain individuals who have eaten Gyromitra mushrooms without effect have had severe reactions on another exposure. In a 1967 report of 513 cases of this kind of poisoning, 14% were fatal. Gyromitra ambigua is probably like Gyromitra esculenta in containing gyromitrin (and other hydrazones), which is metabolized to what appears to be the major toxin, monomethylhydrazine (that has been used as a rocket fuel). Much but not all of this becomes a vapor during cooking and can be poisonous as vapor. Poisoning starts between 2 and 24 hours and may start with vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and headache. Sometimes there is fever. Liver toxicity occurs about 36-48 hours, and then neurological symptoms including seizures and coma. Sometimes there is intravascular hemolysis, kidney failure, or methemoglobinemia. With lower doses, there is still concern that these mushrooms are carcinogenic. (Benjamin, from "Gyromitra species"), G. ambigua collections examined from WA, AB, MB, PQ, SK, YT, AK, Finland, distribution also includes BC, and reported from MT, eastern North America, Europe, and Asia, (Abbott), NJ (Phillips)"^[E-flora]5
• Habitat / Range: "single, gregarious, or scattered in soil or duff or on rotted wood under conifers, from July 23 in AK to February 7 in BC, (November through February collections only known from southern coastal regions), (Abbott), single or in groups on barren sandy soil along roads and paths near pine, (Phillips), single or in groups, always near pines (Pinus sylvestris), "almost always on barren sandy soil, very often along roads and paths (rarely on burnt areas, among charcoal, in decaying wood or on the margins of pine bogs), from late July to the end of October", mostly in northern parts and at higher elevations up to the limit of Pinus sylvestris (Scotch pine), (Harmaja(6) for Fennoscandia)"^[E-flora]5
• Similar Species: "Gyromitra infula tends to be less dark brown with less violaceous tint, tends to be larger, and has non-apiculate spores that are narrowly elliptic and 17-23 microns long, (Abbott), for detailed differences from G. infula see that species (Harmaja); Gyromitra esculenta fruits in spring, has large convoluted head that is medium to dark red brown or orange brown, and spore size and apiculation are different, (Abbott)" ^[E-flora]5

G. californica - California false morel

• Summary: "features include umbrella-like or wavy or occasionally saddle-shaped cap that is tan to brown, olive-brown, or light to dark grayish brown on the upper side, white or creamy and strongly ribbed on the downy underside, stem whitish usually with pinkish or purplish tints, deeply ribbed, downy, and often short, growth on the ground or coniferous wood in late spring and summer, and elliptic spores with 2 droplets but without apiculi; Trudell(4) describe it as having the appearance of a hybrid mushroom: "a gyromitra-like cap mounted on a helvella-like fluted stipe"; collections examined from BC, WA, OR, ID, CA, reported from CO, MT, NV, (Abbott)" ^[E-flora]4
• Habitat / Range "single to gregarious "on soil, duff, or woody debris, rarely on rotted logs, in coniferous woods", "from April 24 in BC to August 6 in ID and interior BC, June and July collections are common", (Abbott), on or adjacent to well rotted stumps or logs of coniferous trees or on soil rich in brown rotted wood, (Castellano), single, scattered, or gregarious "in woods and at their edges, along streams, or often in somewhat disturbed soil", mainly late spring and summer, but sometimes in fall or even winter, (Arora)" ^[E-flora]4

Uses of Related Sp.

• Gyromitra Sp; Cause gastrointestinal distress ^{[30yearspoisonings]}
• G. ambigua: poisonous (Harmaja(8), who discusses a case in which the consumption of the water used in boiling along with the mushroom apparently was associated with a poisonous reaction) ^[E-flora]3
• G. brunnea - Brown False Morel; "This species is a common false morel in the Midwest." ^{[MOFMUS Huffman]} "Most species of Gyromitra, a genus of false morels, are poisonous. G. brunnea is edible, however, and is found in sandy soils or woods." ^{[FAP Rogers]}
• G. californica; "suspected of causing poisoning (Benjamin(1))" ^[E-flora]4
• G. melaleucoides; Gyromitra melaleucoides has a broad shallow cup-shaped “cap” which may become irregular in age but is not strongly lobed....known from northern California north to B.C. and east to Colorado on or near rotting conifer wood." ^{[Trudell MPNW]}
• G. montana; "Gyromitra montana is closely related to the European species G. gigas and the eastern North American G. korfii, and can be common in our montane conifer forests. It occurs in spring and early summer, often near melting snowbanks." ^{[Trudell MPNW]} "common in the mountains of western North America, generally in spring, often around melting snowbanks, (Weber), spring and early summer (Trudell)" ^[E-flora]6

References

• [2] Personal Observation
• [E-flora]
  • [1]Gyromitra esculenta, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Gyromitra esculenta&redblue=Both&lifeform=14 Accessed: 9/19/2014
  • [2]Gyromitra infula, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Gyromitra%20infula, Accessed Oct 15, 2016
  • [3]Gyromitra ambigua, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Gyromitra%20ambigua&redblue=Both&lifeform=14, Accessed Oct 16, 2016
  • [4]Gyromitra californica, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Gyromitra%20californica&redblue=Both&lifeform=14, Accessed Oct 16, 2016
  • [5]Gyromitra ambigua, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Gyromitra%20ambigua&redblue=Both&lifeform=14, Accessed Oct 16, 2016
  • [6]Gyromitra montana, http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Gyromitra%20montana&redblue=Both&lifeform=14, Accessed Oct 16, 2016