Species details
Fluted black elfin saddle
Helvella lacunosa
Conditional / expert preparation
Photo: Kineticcrusher · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
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Description
A grey to nearly black saddle fungus with an irregular saddle-shaped head and a characteristically deeply fluted hollow stem.
Identification features
Head about 3–5 cm wide and 4–7 cm high, irregularly lobed and wrinkled, light grey to almost black. Stem 3–8 cm tall, whitish-grey to grey-brown, hollow and strongly deeply fluted or ribbed.
Identification checklist
Key features are the grey to black lobed head and the strongly longitudinally fluted, hollow, paler stem.
Detailed features
- Stem
- Stem 3–8 cm tall, whitish-grey to grey-brown, hollow and strongly deeply fluted or ribbed.
Size
- Stem height
- 3–8 cm
Habitat
Grows in deciduous and coniferous woodland, often on sandy ground beside paths and wood-storage areas, in summer and autumn.
Fruiting period
July, August, September, October
Ecology
- Substrate
- Sandy soil
- Notes
- Grows in deciduous and coniferous woodland, often on sandy ground beside paths and wood-storage areas, in summer and autumn.
How to separate similar species
Similar Helvella species may have dark lobes but usually lack such a strongly pitted, fluted stem. Atypical specimens require caution.
Similar species
- Black saddle (Helvella atra)
- Helvella ephippium
- White saddle (Helvella crispa)