''Helvella solitaria'' is a species of

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

in the family

Helvellaceae The Helvellaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi, the best-known members of which are the elfin saddles of the genus '' Helvella''. Originally erected by Elias Magnus Fries in 1823 as ''Elvellacei'', it contained many genera. Several of these, ...

. Originally described as ''Peziza solitaria'' by

Petter Karsten Petter Adolf Karsten (16 February 1834 – 22 March 1917) was a Finnish mycologist, the foremost expert on the fungi of Finland in his day, and known in consequence as the "father of Finnish mycology". Karsten was born in Merimasku near Turku, s ...

in 1869, he transferred it to the genus ''

Helvella ''Helvella'' is a genus of ascomycete fungus of the family Helvellaceae. The mushrooms, commonly known as elfin saddles, are identified by their irregularly shaped caps, fluted stems, and fuzzy undersurfaces. They are found in North America and i ...

'' in 1871. The fungus has a

boreal Boreal may refer to: Climatology and geography *Boreal (age), the first climatic phase of the Blytt-Sernander sequence of northern Europe, during the Holocene epoch *Boreal climate, a climate characterized by long winters and short, cool to mild ...

and

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

distribution.

Edibility

Consumption of this fungus is not recommended as similar species in the Helvellaceae contain the toxin

gyromitrin Gyromitrin is a toxin and carcinogen present in several members of the fungal genus ''Gyromitra'', like '' G. esculenta''. Its formula is . It is unstable and is easily hydrolyzed to the toxic compound monomethylhydrazine . Monomethylhydrazin ...

References

solitaria Fungi described in 1869 Fungi of Europe Fungi of North America Taxa named by Petter Adolf Karsten {{Pezizomycetes-stub