The name false morel is given to a number of Ascomycete fungi which bear a resemblance to the highly regarded true morels of the genus Morchella. It may be applied to several species in the genus Gyromitra, including:
- G. esculenta (brain or beefsteak mushroom)
- G. infula (elfin saddle)
- G. caroliniana (big red)
- G. gigas (snow morel)
The name is also sometimes used for mushrooms of the genus Verpa, including:
- V. bohemica (early or wrinkled thimble morel)
- V. conica (bell or thimble morel)
The edibility of all "false morels" has been recently brought into question. While many people eat them without apparent harm, some people have developed acute toxicity and recent evidence suggests that there may be long-term health risks as well.[1][2] Eating any false morel is not recommended, at least until more is known about possible toxins.
See also
- Gyromitrin, a toxic chemical in Gyromitra fungi
References
- ^ Michael W. Beug, Marilyn Shaw, and Kenneth W. Cochran. Thirty plus Years of Mushroom Poisoning: Summary of the Approximately 2,000 Reports in the NAMA Case Registry. From summary at http://www.blogcharm.com/mycos/
- ^ Benjamin, Denis R. (1995). Mushrooms: poisons and panaceas — a handbook for naturalists, mycologists and physicians. New York: WH Freeman and Company. ISBN 0-7167-2600-9.
 |
This fungus-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
