''Discina fastigiata'' is a species of

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

in the family

Discinaceae The Discinaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi, the best known members of which are the false morels of the genus ''Gyromitra''. Originally erected by Erich Heinz Benedix in 1961, it was found to be a discrete clade in a molecular study of ri ...

. Its common names are brown false morel and brown gyromitra. It is related to species containing the toxin

monomethylhydrazine Monomethylhydrazine (mono-methyl hydrazine, MMH) is a highly toxic, volatile hydrazine derivative with the chemical formula . It is used as a rocket propellant in bipropellant rocket engines because it is hypergolic with various oxidizers such a ...

, so its consumption is not advised.

Description

The

cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

of ''Discina fastigiata'' is 4-10 cm wide, and is composed of multiple upwardly curved lobes, usually with three tips. The texture is ribbed and brain-like. The lobes are irregularly folded over and sloped towards the stem. The colour varies from yellow to reddish-brown to black, when the

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...

are mature. The inside of the cap is hollow and white. The stipe is chalk-white and cylindrical, though thickening at the base and ribbed like the cap. Inside it is made out of hollow or stuffed connected channels. It measures 60-80 mm long and 25-60 mm thick. The lower part of the stipe is always covered in dirt. The flesh is white,and fragile. Its texture is watery to succulent. It smells slightly sperm-like. The

hymenium The hymenium is the tissue layer on the hymenophore of a fungal fruiting body where the cells develop into basidia or asci, which produce spores. In some species all of the cells of the hymenium develop into basidia or asci, while in others som ...

(spore-bearing surface) is on the outside of the cap. The transparent spores are long and elliptical, measuring 25–30 × 11–14 µm. The surface of the spores is rough to webbed and they contain 1-3 oil drops. Each

ascus An ascus (; ) is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores (or octad), produced by meiosis followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera o ...

contains 8 spores, and measures 18-25 x 440-525 µm. The walls of the asci show no reaction in Melzer's reagant. It has 5-9 µm wide, thin-walled, yellow-brown paraphyses with 3-5 septa.

Distribution

''Discina fastigiata'' grows in southeastern and midwestern United States, as well as the Great Lakes region. It fruits throughout spring. It grows alone or in groups on soil, leaf litter or rotting wood in hardwood forests.

References

Discinaceae Fungi described in 1834 Fungi of Europe Fungus species {{Ascomycota-stub