Helvella crispa
FLUTED SADDLE
Order: Pezizales, family Helvellaceae
HEAD FOLDED IN LOBES OR SADDLE-SHAPED
Head: 1-5 cm wide and tall; saddle-shaped or folded irregularly; buff to pinkish; brittle
GILLS BECOME BLACK AND INKY
Gills: free or nearly so; very close, narrow; white, then pinkish-red, then black and inky
STALK WITH DEEP RIDGES
Stalk: 3-10 cm long, .5-3 cm wide; deep ridges; interior chambered; white to pinkish buff
SPORES
Spores: 17-21 x 10-14 µm
Helvella crispa🍴Edibility: CAUTION
FOUND ON GROUND OR ROTTING WOOD, IN LAWNS
LOOKALIKES
Gyromitra species
False Morels
Head also folded in lobes, not black
⚠️ Some are poisonous
Helvella lacunosa
Black Elfin Saddle
It is gray-brown to almost black
Morchella esculenta
Yellow Morel
Deep pits, not folds
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO KNOW...
An unusual mushroom, the fluted saddle may pop up near coniferous trees. It falls into the group of shrooms that have a "head" rather than a cap like a "normal" mushroom. Don't be stupid and confuse the fluted saddle with a stinkhorn, which you're much more likely to find.
