Species details
Elastic saddle
Helvella elastica
Conditional / expert preparation
Photo: Σ64 · CC BY 3.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A pale saddle fungus with a wavy saddle-shaped head, slender pale stem and distinctly elastic flesh.
Identification features
Head up to about 4 cm wide and 3–6 cm high, wavy-lobed, whitish to ochre-grey and free at the margin. Stem is slender, 3–6 cm tall, whitish, smooth to slightly longitudinally wrinkled, hollow or partly compressed.
Identification checklist
Check the pale elastic lobed head, long slender pale stem and absence of deep pits like those of H. lacunosa.
Detailed features
- Stem
- Stem is slender, 3–6 cm tall, whitish, smooth to slightly longitudinally wrinkled, hollow or partly compressed.
Size
- Stem height
- 3–6 cm
Habitat
Grows in shady woodland among leaves or grass from late spring to autumn.
Fruiting period
May, June, July, August, September, October
Ecology
- Notes
- Grows in shady woodland among leaves or grass from late spring to autumn.
How to separate similar species
Helvella ephippium is more distinctly saddle-shaped; H. lacunosa has a strongly fluted stem. Photographs of atypical Helvella are insufficient for safe food assessment.