| Helvella elastica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Subdivision: | Pezizomycotina |
| Class: | Pezizomycetes |
| Order: | Pezizales |
| Family: | Helvellaceae |
| Genus: | Helvella |
| Species: | H. elastica |
| Binomial name | |
| Helvella elastica Bull. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Leptopodia elastica (Bull.) Boud. |
|
| Helvella elastica | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
| smooth hymenium | |
| cap is convex | |
| hymenium attachment is not applicable | |
| stipe is bare | |
| ecology is mycorrhizal | |
| edibility: not recommended | |
Helvella elastica, commonly known as the flexible Helvella,[1] or the elastic saddle,[2] is a species of fungi in the Helvellaceae family, Pezizales order. It is found in Asia, Europe, and North America. It has a roughly saddle-shaped yellow-brown cap atop a whitish stem, and grows on soil in woods. Another colloquial name is the brown elfin saddle.[3]
Contents |
The fruit body of the fungus is grayish or olive-brown, saddle- or mitral-shaped (i.e., resembling a double mitre) and is attached only to the top of the stem; it may be up to 3 centimetres (1.2 in) wide. The stem is white, solid or filled with loosely stuffed hyphae, has a smooth surface, and is up to 8 centimetres (3.1 in) long by 1 centimetre (0.4 in) thick.[1] The flesh of H. elastica is brittle and thin. The odor and taste of this mushroom are not distinctive.[4]
The spores are oblong to elliptical in shape, translucent (hyaline), contain one central oil drop (guttulate), and have dimensions of 18–22 by 10–14 µm; young spores have coarse surface warts, while older ones are smooth. The spore-bearing cells, the asci, are 260– by 17–19 µm. The paraphyses (sterile cells interspersed between the asci) are club-shaped, filled with oil drops, sometimes branched, and are 6–10 µm at the apex.[1]
Consumption of this fungus is not recommended as similar species in the Helvellaceae family contain the toxin gyromitrin.[5]
This fungus is typically found solitary, scattered, or clustered together on the ground or on wood in coniferous and deciduous woods.[6] It has been found in Europe,[4] North America (in "western states and provinces"),[7] Japan,[8] and China.[9]
The closely related fungus Helvella albipes has a thicker stem and two to four lobes.[1] Another similar species, Helvella latispora, has an underside surface that has minute "hairs" in yong specimens.[10]
A 2005 Korean study investigated the ability of extracts from 67 different mushroom species to perform fibrinolysis, the process of breaking down blood clots caused by the protein fibrin. H. elastica was one of seven species that had this ability; the activity of the extract was 60% of that of plasmin, the positive control used in the experiment.[11]