Helvellaceae

Helvellaceae
Helvella crispa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Pezizomycetes
Order: Pezizales
Family: Helvellaceae
Fr. (1822)
Type genus
Helvella
L. (1753)
Genera

Balsamia
Barssia
Helvella
Underwoodia
Wynnella

The Helvellaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi, the best-known members of which are the elfin saddles of the genus Helvella. Originally erected by Elias Magnus Fries in 1823 as Elvellacei, it contained many genera. Several of these, such as Gyromitra and Discina, have been found to be more distantly related in a molecular study of ribosomal DNA by mycologist Kerry O'Donnell in 1997, leaving a much smaller core clade now redefined as Helvellaceae. Instead, this narrowly defined group is most closely related to the true truffles of the Tuberaceae.[1] Although the Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition, 2008) considered the Helvellaceae to contain six genera and 63 species,[2] genetic analysis has shown that Leucangium, previously classified in this family, is more closely related to the Morchellaceae.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ODonnell1997 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kirk2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Trappe 2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).