Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Gyromitra esculenta is a member of a group of fungi known as "false morels", so named for their resemblance to the highly regarded true morels of the genus Morchella. The grouping includes other species of the genus Gyromitra, such as G. infula (elfin saddle), G. caroliniana and G. gigas (snow morel).
Gyromitra esculenta, a false morel. When gathering morels for mushrooms, care must be taken to distinguish them from potentially poisonous lookalikes. While a great many morel lookalikes, and even morels themselves are toxic or cause gastrointestinal upset when consumed raw, some, such as Gyromitra esculenta remain toxic even after conventional cooking methods.
For premium support please call: 800-290-4726 more ways to reach us
Some species of the genus Gyromitra are highly poisonous when eaten raw due to the presence of gyromitrin, although some are edible when cooked and Gyromitra spp. are sought after in Scandinavian countries. Widespread hemolysis has been reported from ingestion which can result in kidney failure.
No matter how experienced you are, if you aren’t 100% sure of a mushroom’s identification, don’t eat it.
Mushroom collectors are famously protective of their hunting sites. Beyond their deliciousness, morels are also notoriously elusive, and expensive.
Gyromitrin may not be considered especially toxic, which may lead people to underestimate its poisonous qualities. In Poland, from 1953 to 1962, there were 138 documented poisonings, only two of which were fatal. Of 706 calls to the Swedish poison center regarding Gyromitra mushrooms between 1994 and 2002, there were no fatalities.
Paragyromitra infula, commonly known as the hooded false morel or the elfin saddle, is a species of fungus in the family Discinaceae.The dark reddish-brown caps of the fruit bodies develop a characteristic saddle-shape in maturity, and the ends of both saddle lobes are drawn out to sharp tips that project above the level of the fruit body.