Verpa bohemica is a species of fungus in the Morchellaceae family, commonly known as the "early morel" or the "wrinkled thimble-cap". The species was first described in the scientific literature by the Czech physician and mycologist Julius Vincenz von Krombholz in 1828; bohemica refers to Bohemia (now a part of the Czech Republic) where Krombholz originally collected the species. The mushroom has a pale yellow or brown thimble-shaped cap that has a surface wrinkled and ribbed with brain-like convolutions. The cap hangs from the top of a lighter- colored, brittle stem that measures up to 12 cm (4.7 in) long. It is one of several species known informally as a "false morel". In the field, the mushroom is reliably distinguished from the true morels on the basis of cap attachment: V. bohemica has a cap that hangs completely free from the stem. Although widely considered edible, consumption is generally not advised due to reports of poisoning in susceptible individuals. Poisoning symptoms include gastrointestinal upset and lack of muscular coordination. V. bohemica is found in northern North America, Europe, and Asia. It fruits in early spring, growing on the ground in woods following the snowmelt.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verpa_bohemica
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1861:
American Civil War: Jefferson Davis was named as the provisional president of the Confederate States of America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Davis
1913:
A group of meteors was visible across much of the eastern seaboard of North and South America, leading astronomers to conclude that the source had been a small, short-lived natural satellite of the Earth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_procession_of_February_9,_1913
1943:
World War II: Allied forces declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the Guadalcanal Campaign as a significant strategic victory for Allied forces fighting Japan in the Pacific War. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal_Campaign
1976:
The Australian Defence Force was formed by the unification of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Defence_Force
2001:
The American submarine USS Greeneville accidentally collided with the Ehime Maru, a Japanese training vessel operated by the Uwajima Fishery High School. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ehime_Maru_and_USS_Greeneville_collision
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
set the Thames on fire: (idiomatic) To achieve something amazing; to do something which brings great public acclaim. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/set_the_Thames_on_fire
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
It is not as a child that I believe and confess Jesus Christ. My hosanna is born of a furnace of doubt. --Fyodor Dostoyevsky https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoyevsky