Helvella lacunosa (or maybe Helvella crispa)

Posted by Luurt 12/16/12 - - - - - - Scroll Down to See the Discussion

Luurt: This mushroom was starting to come up in the area where I usually collect truffles
(no truffles, no rhizopogons, no coral mushrooms there this year).

I would call this a fluted elfin saddle, Helvela crispa
(notwithstanding the reported distribution in Arora).
There is the possibility that it is parasitized by Hypomyces.
though the parasitization must be endemic
because all specimens look like this (Mycoweb mentions the common occurrence of this pairing)

Sava: There is apparently a pale form of H. lacunosa and your nice find may be it.
I've never seen H. crispa except in pictures
(http://www.mushroomexpert.com/helvella_crispa.html);
the cap margin on it goes away from the stem, which seems to be a distinguishing feature.
The following is from MatchMaker's page on H. crispa:

SIMILAR Helvella lactea is bald on the underside of the cap, (Arora);
Helvella maculata has a brown cap,
and Helvella lacunosa a gray or black cap:
pallid specimens of the latter occur,
but have partially attached rather than free cap margin, (Arora),
H. lacunosa in its pale forms may be somewhat similar but has bald underside and
different marginal curvature, (Weber)