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01 Morel - Lookalike Morels Mystery Cache

Hidden : 03/20/2024
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Cache is not at posted coordinates.


When gathering morels for mushrooms, care must be taken to distinguish them from potentially poisonous lookalikes. While a great many morel lookalikes, and even morels themselves are toxic or cause gastrointestinal upset when consumed raw, some, such as Gyromitra esculenta remain toxic even after conventional cooking methods. Although some false morels can be eaten without ill effect, others can cause severe gastrointestinal upset, loss of muscular coordination, or even death.

The key morphological features distinguishing some of the lookalikes from true morels are as follows:
    Gyromitra species often have a "wrinkled" or "cerebral" (brain-like) appearance to the cap due to multiple wrinkles and folds, rather than the honeycomb appearance of true morels due to ridges and pits. Some species of Gyromitra do not contain gyromitrin, but are potentially easy to confuse with Gyromitra esculenta and other toxic species in the areas where their ranges overlap.
    Gyromitra esculenta has a cap that is usually reddish-brown in colour, but sometimes also chestnut, purplish-brown, or dark brown.
    Gyromitra species are typically chambered in longitudinal section, while Verpa species contain a cottony substance inside their stem, in contrast to true morels which are always hollow.
    The caps of Verpa species (V. bohemica, V. conica and others) are attached to the stem only at the apex (top of the cap), unlike true morels which have caps that are attached to the stem at, or near the base of the cap, or halfway along the stem ("half-free morels"). The easiest way to distinguish Verpa species from Morchella species is to slice them longitudinally.  Since all known Verpa species are safe to eat if prepared similarly to morels, there is little to no risk in mistaking them for morels.

If a mushroom has a wrinkled, not pitted, cap, it’s not a morel.
If a mushroom has a stem that is not hollow, it’s not a morel.
If a mushroom has a cap that is attached to the stem only at the top, it’s not a morel.
If a mushroom has a cap that is globular or has lobes pointing in different directions, it’s not a morel.
If a mushroom is fruiting in the wrong place or at the wrong time, it’s probably not a morel.

When in doubt, leave it out!


What is another name for Lookalike Morels?

Unreal: N44 20.880 W85 45.820

False: N44 20.900 W85 45.799

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

UNATRE

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)