| Name: | Helvella vespertina. Western Black Elfin Saddle. |
| Family: | Helvellacea. |
| Spore Color: | — |
| Size, Smell, Taste: | "cap" 2 to 5 cm, irregularly lobed. Stem 4 to 15 cm. Odor indistinct, taste mild. |
| Niche (substrate): | Solitary or scattered in small troops on ground or in duff or moss under conifers. Fruiting in fall and winter. Common around here. |
| Edibility: | Edible if cooked well, and specimens are not too old. Moldy specimens should not be eaten, as the mold is poisonous. |
| Distinguishing features: | Irregularly lobed / brainlike cap. Ranges from pale grey to black. Ribbed to smooth underside, whitish to pale grey. Stalk irregularly grooved, ribbed and fluted, sometimes with a butress base. Thin, brittle flesh. Stipe chambered, cartilagenous. Turns out that there are at least four species going by this name, none of which is the European species. The folding, textured black surface and ridges on the stalk are hard to miss, in my extremely inexpert opinion. |