Helvella lacunosa

Scottish naturalist John Lightfoot wrote of it in his 1777 work Flora Scotica, calling Helvella mitra, or curled helvella. The fungus was formally described by Swedish botanist Adam Afzelius in 1783. Its specific epithet is the Latin adjective lacunosa, meaning "with holes". The generic name was originally a type of Italian herb but became associated with morels. H. sulcata; once separated, because of certain differences in the lobe structure is now dropped, or just a synonym. It was not possible to draw a clear distinction between the two. ==Description==

Helvella lacunosa not uncommonly appears to be made out of wax. It has an irregularly folded or wrinkled cap which may be shades of slatey grey to black, and measure anywhere from , though usually between . The margin can be fused with the wrinkled, ringless stem, The stem may be white when young and darker with age, though may be any shade of grey. The spore print is white, and the oval spores average (12) 15–21 × (9) 11–14 μm. Occasionally, white-capped forms are found. They may be distinguished from the creamy-white coloured Helvella crispa by the latter's furry cap undersurface and inrolled margins when young. Another similar species is H. maculata, which has a brownish cap. ==Distribution and habitat==

This species is common in Eastern North America and is also found in Europe, Japan, and China. It is frequent in the alpine, and temperate zones of both the northern and southern hemispheres. Two similar looking species occur in Western North America; Helvella vespertina is associated with conifers and H. dryophila is associated with oak. The European H. lacunosa has been found in Eastern North America, but rarely in the west. ==Ecology==

The species can be attacked by Hypomyces cervinigenus or Clitocybe sclerotoidea. ==Edibility==

This species is eaten and regarded highly by some after thorough cooking, though the stems are not eaten. yet this genus is now regarded with suspicion due to the presence of toxic compounds in several related species. It has been reported to cause gastrointestinal symptoms when eaten raw. It may contain small amounts of the toxin monomethylhydrazine, so cooking is required. ==References==