Edible
Morel
Morchella esculentoides
A true morel has a pitted honeycomb cap fused to the stem at its lower edge, and it is completely hollow from tip to base when sliced.
False Morel
Gyromitra esculenta
Toxic lookalike
Also called brain mushroom, turban fungus.
The false morel is a spring mushroom with a wrinkled, brain-like reddish-brown cap. It fruits under conifers in the same weeks as true morels and contains gyromitrin, a toxin that has caused liver damage and deaths.
The tell
Wrinkled, brain-like reddish-brown cap that is chambered or cottony inside, not hollow.
Field marks
What to look at
Cap, underside and stem show in a photo. The spore print does not, and it is often the deciding check.
- Cap
- Irregular, lobed and folded like a brain. Reddish brown to dark brown, sometimes chestnut or nearly black. The lower edge of the cap touches the stem in several places.
- Underside
- No gills or pores. Sliced top to bottom, the cap and stem show several chambers or folded pockets, often with cottony tissue.
- Stem
- Whitish to pale tan, often folded or grooved and sometimes flattened. No ring and no cup.
- Flesh
- Thin, brittle and whitish. Smell is not distinctive.
- Spore print
- Not used in field identification.
- Size
- Cap 1 to 4 inches wide (2.5 to 10 cm); whole mushroom 2 to 6 inches tall (5 to 15 cm).
Where and when
Where and when it grows
- Habitat
- Coniferous and mixed forests, often under pines, and on disturbed ground, sometimes near melting snow.
- Grows on
- Soil or well-rotted wood under conifers.
- Season
- Spring, from March to June depending on latitude and elevation.
- Range
- Most common in the northern states, Canada and the western mountains, with records across the continent.
Lookalikes
What the false morel gets confused with
Each card says how to tell the two apart.
EdibleBlack Morel
Morchella angusticeps
Black morels have conical caps with pits between dark vertical ridges, and they are one continuous hollow inside.
Verpa bohemica
Photo coming
Toxic lookalikeEarly False Morel
Verpa bohemica
Verpa has a smaller, thimble-shaped cap that hangs free from the top of a long, cotton-stuffed stem.
Toxic lookalikeElfin Saddle
Helvella crispa
The elfin saddle is white to cream with a floppy saddle-shaped cap on a deeply ribbed stem, and it fruits in late summer and fall.
Edibility
What the field guides say
Toxic lookalike
Field guides list the false morel as poisonous. It contains gyromitrin, which breaks down in the body into monomethylhydrazine, a compound also used in rocket fuel. Recorded symptoms begin hours after a meal with vomiting, diarrhea and headache, and can progress to liver damage, seizures and death. Poisonings have also been reported from the vapors released during cooking. Toxin levels vary between collections, and guides record people who ate it without symptoms on earlier occasions.
This page states what field guides record. It is not advice to eat, taste or handle anything, and a photo cannot settle edibility. If someone has eaten a wild mushroom that may be toxic, call poison control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) right away, before symptoms start: the deadliest species act hours later.
FAQ
Questions about the false morel
Is a false morel poisonous?
Yes. Field guides list Gyromitra esculenta as poisonous because it contains gyromitrin, which the body converts to monomethylhydrazine. Poisonings have caused vomiting, liver damage, seizures and deaths.
How do you tell a false morel from a real morel?
A true morel has a pitted honeycomb cap and is completely hollow when sliced lengthwise. A false morel has a wrinkled, brain-like cap, usually reddish brown, and the inside is divided into chambers or filled with cottony tissue.
Where do false morels grow?
Under conifers, especially pines, and in mixed forests in spring, often in sandy soil or on disturbed ground. They are most common in the northern states, Canada and the western mountains, sometimes appearing near melting snow.
Sources
Where these facts come from
- Gyromitra esculenta
MushroomExpert.com
- Gyromitra esculenta
Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia
- Gyromitra esculenta
MykoWeb, California Fungi
- Gyromitra esculenta
Index Fungorum
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