Helvella crispa

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Helvella crispa
0 Helvella crispa - Havre (1).JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Pezizomycetes
Order: Pezizales
Family: Helvellaceae
Genus: Helvella
Species:
H. crispa
Binomial name
Helvella crispa
(Scop.) Fr. (1822)
Helvella crispa
Information icon.svg
Smooth icon.pngSmooth hymenium
Convex cap icon.svg Cap is convex
NA cap icon.svg Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable
Bare stipe icon.svg Stipe is bare
Transparent spore print icon.svg
 Spore print is white
Saprotrophic fungus.svgMycorrhizal fungus.svgEcology is saprotrophic or mycorrhizal
Mycomorphbox Poison.pngEdibility is poisonous

Helvella crispa, also known as the fluted white elfin saddle, [1] white saddle, elfin saddle or common helvel, is an ascomycete fungus of the family Helvellaceae. The mushroom is readily identified by its irregularly shaped whitish cap, fluted stem, and fuzzy undersurfaces. It is found in eastern and western [2] North America and in Europe, near deciduous trees in summer and autumn.

Contents

Etymology

The fungus was originally described as Phallus crispus by the naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in 1772. [3] Its specific epithet is Latin adjective crispa 'wrinkled' or 'curly'. The generic name was originally a type of Italian herb but became associated with morels. [4]

Description

Helvella crispa is creamy white in colour, 6–13 centimetres (2+1⁄2–5 inches) in length, with a cap 2–6 cm (1–2 in) in diameter. [5] It is striking due to its irregularly shaped lobes on the cap, but with a robust creamy-white base (2–8×1–2.5 cm in size). Its flesh is thin and brittle. The stem is 3–10 cm (1¼–4 in) long, white or pinkish in colour and ornately ribbed. It gives off a pleasant aroma, but is not edible raw.

The spore print is white and the oval spores average 19 x 11.5  μm. [6] Occasionally white-capped forms are found. It can be distinguished from occasional white forms of Helvella lacunosa by its furry cap undersurface and inrolled margins when young. [7]

Distribution and habitat

H. crispa is found in China, [8] Japan, [9] Europe and eastern and western [2] North America, though is sometimes replaced by the related Helvella lacunosa in western parts. [10]

It grows in grass as well as in humid hardwoods, such as beech (not so well in resinous ones), along the side of pathways, in hedges and on the talus of meadows. They can be spotted from the end of summer until the end of autumn. [11]

Edibility

Some guidebooks list this species as edible as recently as 2006. [6] [11] . However, it has been reported to cause gastrointestinal symptoms when eaten raw. [7] Many sources list this species as containing or being suspected of containing monomethylhydrazine; extensive chemical analysis has not been performed on this species. Some guides recommend that if consumed, it is recommended to cook thoroughly and only in small amounts, and to consume with caution. [5] There is no evidence of this species being widely consumed, or that toxins are removed during cooking.

Recent evidence suggests that this fungus and similar species containing gyromitrin may cause the fatal disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) after many years or even decades. [12] [13] [14]

References

  1. ↑ Arora, David (1986). Mushrooms demystified: a comprehensive guide to the fleshy fungi (Second ed.). Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN   978-0-89815-169-5.
  2. 1 2 "Observations". iNaturalist Canada. Retrieved 2025-08-04.
  3. ↑ Scopoli JA. (1772). Flora carniolica (in Italian). Vol. 2 (2 ed.). p. 475.
  4. ↑ Nilsson S, Persson O.(1977) Fungi of Northern Europe 1: Larger Fungi (Excluding Gill Fungi). pp. 36-37. Penguin Books. ISBN   0-14-063005-8
  5. 1 2 Francis-Baker, Tiffany (2021). Concise Foraging Guide. The Wildlife Trusts. London: Bloomsbury. p. 106. ISBN   978-1-4729-8474-6.
  6. 1 2 Phillips R (2006). Mushrooms. London: Pan Macmillan Ltd. p. 360. ISBN   0-330-44237-6.
  7. 1 2 Ammirati, Joseph F.; Traquair, James A.; Horgen, Paul A. (1985). Poisonous mushrooms of the northern United States and Canada . Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p.  259. ISBN   0-8166-1407-5.
  8. ↑ Zhuang WY. (2004). "Preliminary survey of the Helvellaceae from Xinjiang, China". Mycotaxon. 90 (1): 35–42.
  9. ↑ Nagao H. (2002). "Fungal flora in Chiba Pref., central Japan (III) Ascomycetes: Plectomycetes and Discomycetes" (PDF). Journal of the Natural History Museum and Institute Chiba. 5: 111–132.
  10. ↑ Arora, David (1986) [1979]. Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi (2nd ed.). Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. p. 816. ISBN   978-0-89815-170-1.
  11. 1 2 Haas, Hans (1969). The Young Specialist looks at Fungi. Burke. p. 184. ISBN   0-222-79409-7.
  12. ↑ Frei, Martina (5 December 2022). "Mysteriöse Erkrankungsfälle in einem kleinen Alpendorf" [Mysterious disease cases in a small Alpine village]. Tages-Anzeiger (in German).
  13. ↑ Lagrange, E; Bonneterre, Vincent; Talbot, K; Couratier, Philippe; Bernard, E; Camu, William (December 2017). A high-incidence cluster of ALS in the French Alps: common environment and multiple exposures. 28th international symposium on ALS/MND. Vol. 18. p. 179.
  14. ↑ Spencer, Peter S.; Palmer, Valerie S.; Kisby, Glen E.; Lagrange, Emmeline; Horowitz, B. Zane; Valdes Angues, Raquel; Reis, Jacques; Vernoux, Jean-Paul; Raoul, Cédric; Camu, William (13 February 2023). "Early-onset, conjugal, twin-discordant, and clusters of sporadic ALS: Pathway to discovery of etiology via lifetime exposome research". Frontiers in Neuroscience. 17. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1005096 . PMC   9969898 . PMID   36860617.
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