False Morels
Family:
Various families in the phylum Ascomycota (sac fungi)
Description:
False morels have wrinkled, irregular caps that are brainlike or saddle-shaped. They may be black, gray, white, brown or reddish. (The "big red false morel," Gyromitra caroliniana, common in Missouri, is a large false morel with a reddish cap.) Other names include elephant ears, Arkansas morels and brain mushrooms. False morels differ from true morels in two obvious ways: 1. The cap surface has lobes, folds, flaps or wrinkles, but it does not have pits and ridges like a true morel. You might say their caps bulge outward instead of being pitted inward. 2. The bottom edge of the cap of a false morel hangs free around the stem, like a skirt. On true morels, the bottom edge of the cap is attached to the stem.
Size:
Height: 2–8 inches, but varies with species.
Habitat and conservation:
False morels are found in spring, summer and fall on the ground in woodlands. It is safest to consider false morels as toxic. Many people have enjoyed eating them for years and may even consider them a favorite wild mushroom, but false morels have definitely caused serious illnesses and deaths. Whether they will sicken you or not depends on cooking techniques, growing location and type of mushroom, and your own sensitivity. It’s best to avoid them, and completely cook any morel-like mushroom.
Distribution in Missouri:
Statewide.
Status:
Common.
Life cycle:
“Mushrooms” exist most of the time underground or within rotting logs as a network of cells (mycelium) connected to tree roots, rotting material, and the soil. When ready to reproduce, the mycelium sends up the “mushroom” aboveground—this is the reproductive structure. Spores are produced in these structures and are released to begin new mycelia elsewhere. The mycelium of a mushroom can live for decades.
Human connections:
Because these mushrooms have definitely caused deaths, we cannot recommend that you eat them. If you nevertheless choose to do so, they should be thoroughly cooked in a well-ventilated room, since their toxin (a chemical nearly the same as rocket fuel) is driven off by heat and goes into the air.
Ecosystem connections:
Fungi are vitally important for a healthy ecosystem. Many form symbiotic relationships with roots of many trees, helping them to survive. Fungi also feed off of decomposing materials, such as fallen leaves and logs, cleaning the forest and helping nutrients to cycle back into the soil. 
Shortened URL
mdc.mo.gov/node/4123
