Species details
Fluted black elfin saddle
Helvella lacunosa
Conditional / expert preparation
Photo: Bjorn Sothmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Photo source · License
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.
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.
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
Similar species
- Black saddle (Helvella atra)
- Helvella ephippium
- White saddle (Helvella crispa)