A western North American false morel with a broad, puffy, umbrella-like cap that is smooth rather than wrinkled. Its most distinctive feature is the stem, which is whitish above and pink to purplish red or lavender below, with sharp-edged, widely spaced ribs that run up onto the underside of the cap. It grows under conifers from late spring through summer.
Probably poisonous; do not eat. No poisonings are reported, and gyromitrin was not detected in two specimens tested by Dirks et al. (2023, Mycologia 115(1)), but the species is not known to be widely eaten and a negative test does not prove safety. Its family includes the DEADLY Gyromitra esculenta, which contains gyromitrin (converted to monomethylhydrazine); that species has a brain-like, wrinkled cap rather than this smooth, umbrella-like cap over a pink-to-lavender ribbed stem.
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Habitat
Saprobic, alone, scattered or in groups on the ground under conifers, rarely on well-rotted conifer wood; often in moist sites near rotting logs or streams. Late spring through summer.
Distribution
Western North America, from British Columbia south through Washington and Oregon to California; most often reported from Washington and Oregon (Wikipedia; MushroomExpert).
Characteristics
Cap: 2-20 cm across and 1.5-8 cm high, loosely convex with an undulating, puffy surface, occasionally slightly two-lobed; smooth, tan, brown, olive brown or yellow brown; underside whitish and ribbed. Flesh: thin, fragile, whitish. Stem: 3-12 cm high, 2-6 cm wide, whitish above and pinkish to purplish red or lavender below, with irregular, widely spaced, sharp-edged ribs. Spores: 13.5-20 x 7.5-11 µm, ellipsoid, smooth, with two small oil droplets (MushroomExpert).
