Estimated value
Not a sellable food species.
Do not sell. Some cultures parboil it; modern toxicology says gyromitrin can still kill or cause cancer risk.
poisonous · toxic
False Morel
Gyromitra esculenta
Also called Brain mushroom, Lorchel
Field marks
- Spore print
- Yellow
- Smell
- Sometimes spermatic or earthy
- Trees / hosts
- Pine, Larch, Fir
- Elevation
- Low to montane.
Description
Wrinkled, brain-like reddish-brown cap, not a honeycomb. Stem is stuffed or chambered, not a single hollow. Spring fruiting in the same woods as true morels — the most important lookalike of the year.
Where it grows
Sandy conifer woods, urban bark, spring ground.
How to find it
Same season as morels. Learn so you can walk past it.
How to pick
Do not pick for the table. Photograph for ID practice.
Medicinal notes
None. Gyromitrin metabolizes to monomethylhydrazine (rocket fuel). Neurotoxic and hepatotoxic.
Psychoactive / controlled
None. Confusion, vomiting, seizures are poisoning, not a trip.
Law
Not recommended as food anywhere this guide operates.
Lookalikes
- True morel
True morels are pitted and fully hollow. When in doubt, throw it out.
Field ID ticket
Tick every required mark in the woods. 0/2 required. This still is not laboratory certainty.
Do not eat or sell this specimen. Missing required marks.