Helvella crispa

What You Should Know

Helvella crispa is an ascomycete fungus in the family Helvellaceae. It is distinguished by its irregular shape and white-to-beige cap, fluted stem, and fuzzy undersurfaces. Widely distributed in eastern North America, Europe, and Asia. It grows in the grass as well as in humid hardwoods, such as beech, along the side of pathways, in hedges, and on the talus of meadows. The mushrooms can be spotted from the end of summer until the end of autumn.

In the past, this fungus was known as edible. However, research has shown that this mushroom can cause digestive problems and is also carcinogenic. Raw they are even poisonous.

Natural food books and articles from Asia and Latin America claim that Helvella crispa is edible. According to American literature, the mushroom contains poisonous methylhydrazine, and an Italian study represents that this mushroom contains significant amounts of L-dopa, the parent compound of the neurotransmitter dopamine. In contrast to methylhydrazine, L-Dopa is not poisonous, but completely harmless.

Consuming this mushroom is strongly discouraged.

Other names: White Saddle, Elfin Saddle, Common Helvel, Witte kluifzwam (Netherlands), Herbstlorchel (Netherlands), L'helvelle crépue (France), Chřapáč Kadeřavý (Czech), Romania: Mitră Tomnatică, Zbârciog Creț, Spain: Silla de montar blanca, Silla de montar de duende, Helvella común.

Helvella crispa Mushroom Identification

1. Fruit Bodies

   1.5–7 cm high; 1.5–4 cm wide; saddle-shaped and/or irregularly lobed; surface bald and smooth or slightly wrinkled; white to creamy or pale yellowish; colored like the upper surface or slightly darker; the margin often curled upwards in places, not becoming fused with the stem where contact occurs.

2. Stem

   3–12 cm long; 0.5–3.5 cm wide; white; deeply and ornately ribbed, with cross-veins and pockets.

3. Flesh

   Thin; brittle; often chambered in the stem; whitish; not changing when sliced.

4. Odor

   Not distinctive.

5. Spore Print

   White.

6. Habitat

   Growing alone or gregariously under conifers or hardwoods, on rotting wood, or terrestrially. Widely distributed in Europe and, as a morphological species, reported from central Asia and throughout North America. The American study using stable isotopes showed that a Helvella species classified as saprotroph still exhibits mycorrhiza (Mycorrhizal vs saprotrophic status of fungi: the isotopic evidence, 2001).

7. Season

   Summer and fall, or over winter in warm climates.

8. Microscopic Features

   Spores 16–21 x 11–15 µm; broadly ellipsoid; smooth; with one large, central oil droplet and, sometimes, several smaller droplets at each end; hyaline in KOH. Asci 225–275 x 10–17.5 µm; 8-spored. Paraphyses exceeding the asci by 10–30 µm; 3–5 µm wide, with clavate apices 5–12.5 µm wide. Excipular surface trichoderm-like; terminal elements appearing "cellular" from above, 8–18 µm across, smooth, hyaline in KOH.

Helvella crispa Look-Alikes

1. Helvella pallescens

   The cap margin becomes fused with the stem in places.

2. Helvella lacunosa

   Produces smaller fruiting bodies and has a darker cap.

3. Helvella lactea

   Has a cap that tends to be saddle-shaped more regularly and a shorter, stubbier stem.

Helvella crispa Etymology

In 1772 Giovanni Antonio Scopoli described this species and named it Phallus crispus. Helvella was initially the name of an Italian herb, later of morels, and finally became the designation of the genus. The specific epithet crispa is a Latin adjective and means "wrinkled" or "curly".

A more fairytale-like name for these mushrooms is "Elf-Saddles", possibly derived from the earlier Latin name Elvella. But those who believe in fairy benches, mushroom houses, and witch circles will also see the elves riding on these fairy saddles.

Helvella crispa Synonyms and Varieties

• Phallus crispus Scop. (1772)

• Costapeda crispa (Scop.) Falck 1923

• Elvela monacella Schaeff., 1774

• Helvella alba Berg., 1783

• Helvella atra Afzel. 1783

• Helvella barlae Boud. & Pat. 1888

• Helvella crispa f. crispa (Scop.) Fr.

• Helvella crispa f. grevillei (J. Kickx f.) Massee

• Helvella crispa var. alba Fr. 1822

• Helvella crispa var. barlae (Boud. & Pat.) Boud. 1907

• Helvella crispa var. crispa (Scop.) Fr. 1822

• Helvella crispa var. fulva Bull. 1791

• Helvella crispa var. fusca Bull. 1791

• Helvella crispa var. grevillei J. Kickx f. 1867

• Helvella crispa var. lutescens Fr. 1822

• Helvella crispa var. pithyophila (Boud.) Donadini 1975

• Helvella mitra sensu Bolton [Hist. Fung. Halifax(1789: pl. 95)]

• Helvella mitra var. monacella Pers., 1801

• Helvella monacella Schaeff. 1774

• Helvella nigricans var. atra Pers. 1801

• Helvella nigricans var. nigricans Schaeff. 1774

• Helvella nivea Schrad., 1799

• Helvella pallida Schaeff., 1774

• Helvella pityophila Boud. 1887

• Helvella sulcata Willd. 1787

• Merulius tubiformis var. crispus (Bull.) L. Marchand, 1828

• Merulius undulatus var. fulvus (Bull.) Mérat 1821

• Merulius undulatus var. fuscus (Bull.) Mérat 1821

• Phallus costatus Batsch 1783

• Phallus costatus var. costatus Vent. 1797

• Phallus crispus Scop. 1772

Helvella crispa Video