Discina brunnea

Gabled false morel

A spring false morel of eastern and midwestern hardwood forests with a lobed, saddle-like cap pinched into gables over a thick white stem. The cap ranges from tan to pinkish or reddish brown, and the whitish, downy underside shows seam-like lines where the lobes fuse. It is often found near stumps and downed wood and was long treated in Gyromitra.

Species profile

Edibility: Not edible
Edibility disputed; not recommended. It is eaten in some regions, and gyromitrin was not detected in two specimens tested by Dirks et al. (2023, Mycologia 115(1)), but a negative test does not prove safety. The real danger is confusion with the DEADLY Gyromitra esculenta group, which contains gyromitrin (converted to monomethylhydrazine) and has killed people; G. esculenta has a more brain-like, convoluted cap and usually grows under conifers.

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Characteristics

Cap: 3-9 cm high and 5-10 cm wide, usually with 2-5 lobes pinched together into a saddle or gabled shape; loosely wrinkled, bald, tan to pinkish or reddish brown; underside whitish and downy, fused to the stem where it touches. Flesh: whitish or rose-flushed, brittle, chambered, thick in the stem. Stem: 2-9 cm long, 2-5 cm thick, irregular, widening and often ribbed toward the base, white to pale pinkish tan, not round in cross-section. Spores: 23-30 x 10-15 µm, with 1-3 oil droplets, becoming ridged with projections at the ends (MushroomExpert).