False Morels

false morels a group of mushrooms in the genera Gyromitra and Helvella. They belong to the same family as the morels but need to be treated with caution. None of them has a cap which is both pitted and integral with the stem, like a true morel; but there is a family resemblance and casual inspection could lead to mistakes.

The need for caution applies especially to Gyromitra esculenta, whose fruiting body is markedly irregular in form, looking like a brain or a tangled mass of twine (or an untidy turban). It is widely distributed in Europe and N. America, and has been the subject of much puzzlement. In certain countries, for example Russia, it is marketed and eaten on a large scale. Elsewhere it has a documented reputation for being toxic, even fatally so, and is not eaten; it is forbidden as a market mushroom in Germany and Switzerland. In yet other countries it is eaten by some people with impunity, but proves harmful to others.