Gabled False Morel

(Gyromitra brunnea)

Conservation Status
Gabled False Morel
Photo by Kirk Nelson
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Gabled False Morel is the most common false morel (Gyromitra species) in Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is found in the spring, alone or in groups, on the ground under hardwood trees. It is saprobic, obtaining nutrients from rotting wood, and might also be mycorrhizal, having a mutually beneficial relationship with the tiny rootlets of trees. It may exhibit both traits at different parts of its life cycle.

The cap is 1¼ to 3½tall and 2 to 4 wide, hollow, and loosely wrinkled. It is usually saddle-shaped or winged, divided into 2 or 3 strongly projecting lobes that are fused to each other. The upper surface is tan to reddish-brown and hairless. The lower surface is pale buff to tan, downy, and exposed in places. The margins are free from the stalk.

The stalk is white, hollow, ¾ to 3½tall, and ¾ to 2in diameter. It is irregular in shape, widened and ribbed near the base.

The flesh is brittle, whitish, and chambered. It is edible but due to its similarity in appearance to poisonous false morels, eating is not recommended.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat and Hosts
 
 

Under hardwoods

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Season

 
 

Late May to early June

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 24, 26, 29, 30, 77.

 
  6/4/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

Common and widely distributed in eastern North America

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Phylum Ascomycota (sac fungi)  
  Subphylum Pezizomycotina  
  Class Pezizomycetes  
  Subclass Pezizomycetidae  
 

Order

Pezizales  
 

Family

Discinaceae  
 

Genus

Gyromitra  
  Subgenus Caroliniana  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Gyromitra fastigiata

Gyromitra underwoodii

Neogyromitra brunnea

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Elephant Ears

Gabled False Morel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Mycorrhizal

A symbiotic, usually beneficial relationship between a fungus and the tiny rootlets of a plant, usually a tree.

 

Saprobic

A term often used for saprotrophic fungi. Referring to fungi that obtain their nutrients from decayed organic matter.

 

 

Poisonous

Morel mushrooms (Morchella spp.) are some of the best known and most sought after wild mushrooms in North America. They are particularly abundant in the upper Midwest. They are edible, considered delicious, and are hunted for in deciduous woodlands every spring. False morels (Gyromitra spp.) look superficially similar and appear at the same time of year in roughly the same areas. However, false morels are poisonous. They contain the chemical gyromitrin, which is metabolized in the body into a volatile chemical used as a rocket propellant.

 
 
Visitor Photos
 
           
 

Share your photo of this fungus.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach one or more photos and, if you like, a caption.
 
 

Kirk Nelson

 
 

Identifying information can be found at http://www.mushroomexpert.com
/gyromitra_brunnea.html
. False morels are generally considered inedible and possibly toxic.

  Gabled False Morel  
           
    Gabled False Morel   Gabled False Morel  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

 

 
           

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
Gyromitra brunnea - fungi kingdom
Fungi Kingdom
   
 
About

Published on Jan 23, 2015

Gyromitra brunnea - fungi kingdom

 

 

slideshow

       
 
Visitor Videos
 
       
 

Share your video of this fungus.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Attach a video, a YouTube link, or a cloud storage link.
 
 

 

 
     
     
       
       
 
Other Videos
 
  The Elephant Ear - Gyramitra Brunnea
Found You Foraging
 
   
 
About

May 2, 2022

Finding the Elephant Ear and understanding the umbrella term "False Morel"

 
  Gyromitra brunnea (I believe) A.K.A. Elephant Ears
The Nature Lady
 
   
 
About

May 25, 2020

Found what I believe to be Gyromitra brunnea 5/22/2020.

Though these fungi are safer than the Gyromitra esculenta, I still have to parboil everything. (Many other foragers who love these fungi would scold me for it, but that's what I do.)

I've been told that some Gyromitra sp. are so dangerous that you should parboil them in a vented area or be at risk from the fumes. Once metabolized the chemical in them turns into monomethylhydrazine which is a compound of rocket fuel.

These are NOT a mushroom for the novice forager/mushroom hunter. Gyromitra sp. are deadly when not dealt with properly. Please proceed with extreme caution.

Even if you do not want to eat these mushrooms, they are still safe to touch and are fun to find while wandering in the woods. #livefree #loveyourland #wander

"Cap: 3-9 cm high; 5-10 cm wide; variable in shape but generally with 2-5 lobes raised and pinched together in a saddle-shaped formation; tan to pinkish brown or reddish brown; loosely wrinkled; lobes usually joined in seam-like lines; bald; undersurface exposed in places, whitish, downy, frequently ingrown with stem where contact occurs."

References:
Kuo, M. (2012, June). Gyromitra brunnea. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/gyromit...

 

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this fungus.

 
  This button not working for you?
Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  Kirk Nelson
4/29/2017

Location: Winona County

Identifying information can be found at http://www.mushroomexpert.com/gyromitra_brunnea.html.  False morels are generally considered inedible and possibly toxic.

Gabled False Morel  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings
 
 

 

 

 

 

Binoculars


Created: 5/15/2017

Last Updated:

About Us | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved.