Pitch pine white pine beech oak. Average spore size 5 x 3 microns. Among the few spores present, could not find dextrinoid ones.
Note solid stipe, with slight hollow near base, yellowing interior cavity. On trail right behind Parsonage. Mature smooth ellipsoidal Spores: (15-20)x(10-16) um, Ascospores smaller and more rounded while developing in the ascus. Ascus longer (~340um long in photo 13, structural hyphae unusually wide at the septa (5um), 4um wide otherwise. Paraphyses long and clavate, knobby, with single septa, approx 250um long, Waxy/greasy feel to the top of the cap -see shiny spots photo 2,3, underside felted/matted like a pool table. See description pg 560 'Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast' - I compared to MBC Helvella compressa - while there are some similarities, there are too many differences: Near blackish (very dark brown) cap, Stipe colour and length, colour of the 'hairs/matting' underneath, not white. The stem base is pale and wider/bulbous, but overall colours are blackish, mouse brown here with white flesh. Black book pg 126.
Rubbery, firm texture. Growing in mossy space open to sky near large fir. When cut, inside slightly gummy (see pic 4).
Lightly managed prairie-like gravel till.
Some oak, some isolated pine
Open prairie-like kinnikinnick, moss, grass
cedar, fir, alder; after recent hard freeze