Introduction to Mushrooms Revised April 2000
by By Michael W. Beug Email: beugm@evergreen.edu
The Evergreen State College, Olympia WA
Slide 6.
Verpa bohemica is a distinctive species, one of the earliest prizes of the new year, fruiting well before the true morels. It is characterized by a skirtlike cap that hangs from the top of a somewhat fragile yellowish-white stipe. I seek Verpa bohemica under cottonwood trees when the leaves of the tree are just starting to unfurl and the leaves are about the size of mouse ears. Like morels, and indeed like all ascomycetes and many basidiomycetes, Verpa bohemica should never be eaten raw. Since a few individuals who have eaten this popular species suffer gastrointestinal distress and sometimes loss of coordination, many mushroom books now caution against eating Verpa bohemica.
Previous
Slide