Slate gray saddle or Fluted black elfin saddle (Helvella lacunosa) - the mushroom has a stem and a clearly distinguished hat, which may be up to 5 cm in diameter. The color of the hat can be different, from black, through graphite, gray-blue, gray. It is folded and consists of several irregular lobes.
The leg is quite characteristic, of an irregular shape, grooved, folded, ribbed, sometimes twisted. Reaches a height of about 10 cm. It can be white-gray, light gray, dark gray, graphite, often translucent. It is empty inside, up to 3 cm thick.
Flesh of the mushroom is delicate, brittle, whitish in color, light gray. It does not have a characteristic taste or smell.
Occurrence. It is quite popular in the world, but in Poland it is becoming rarer and is on the list of endangered mushrooms. It appears in spring, in May, and grows until late autumn. Mushrooms grow in deciduous forests, they like beech forests, but they can also be found in mixed forests. They often appear in clearings, in places where fire was burning (similar to Morchella). Most often it grows in small groups. Usage: Edible mushroom.
