Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales. These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges with pits composing their caps. Morels are prized by gourmet cooks, particularly in French cuisine. Due to difficulties in cultivation, commercial harvesting of wild morels has become a multimillion-dollar industry in the temperate Northern Hemisphere, in particular North America, Turkey, China, the Himalayas, India, and Pakistan, where these highly prized fungi are found in abundance.
Morchella esculenta, is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae of the Ascomycota. It is one of the most readily recognized of all the edible mushrooms and highly sought after. Each fruit body begins as a tightly compressed, grayish sponge with lighter ridges, and expands to form a large yellowish sponge with large pits and ridges raised on a large white stem. The pitted yellow-brown caps measure 2–7 centimetres broad by 2–10 cm (1–4 in) tall, and are fused to the stem at its lower margin, forming a continuous hollow. The pits are rounded and irregularly arranged. The hollow stem is typically 2–9 cm long by 2–5 cm (1–2 in) thick, and white to yellow. The fungus fruits under hardwoods and conifers during a short period in the spring, depending on the weather, and is also associated with old orchards, woods and disturbed grounds
Morchella elata is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae. It is one of many related species commonly known as black morels, and until 2012 the name M. elata was broadly applied to black morels throughout the globe. Like most members of the genus, M. elata is a popular edible fungus and is sought by many mushroom hunters.
Morchella conica is an old binomial name previously applied to species of fungi in the family Morchellaceae. It is one of three scientific names that had been commonly used to describe black morels, the others being M. angusticeps and M. elata. It was first introduced by mycologist Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1818, as a superfluous name for the old taxon Morchella continua. According to Richard and colleagues, Fries’ sanctioning applies only at the subgeneric level and the name is illegitimate.
Morchella rufobrunnea, commonly known as the blushing morel, is a species of ascomycete fungus in the family Morchellaceae. A choice edible species, the fungus was originally described as new to science in 1998 by mycologists Gastón Guzmán and Fidel Tapia from collections made in Veracruz, Mexico. Its distribution was later revealed to be far more widespread after several DNA studies suggested that it is common in the West Coast of the United States, Israel, Australia, and Cyprus.
Morchella tridentina is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae, referred to as the mountain blond or western blond morel in North America, but also found in the Mediterranean basin. It has conical, grey to buff fruit bodies that grow up to 20 cm (7.9 in) tall and 5 cm (2.0 in) wide. Recent molecular and morphological studies have also shown M. tridentina to be conspecific to M. frustrata, M. quercus-ilicis, M. elatoides, M. elatoides var. elegans and M. conica var. pseudoeximia.
Morchella americana is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae native to North America. Described as new to science in 2012, it is common east of the Rocky Mountains in a range stretching from Ontario south to Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. In western North America, the species typically is found under hardwood, especially cottonwood trees in river bottoms, or with apple trees or ornamental ashes in urban settings. The specific epithet americana refers to its occurrence in North America.
Morchella virginiana is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae native to North America. Described as new to science in 2012, it occurs in southeastern hardwood forests. It has been collected from North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi and Virginia, often near the American tulip tree.
Morchella capitata is a later synonym of Morchella exuberans. Originally identified as phylogenetic species Mel-9, it was described as new to science in 2012 by Kuo and colleagues. In 2014 however, Richard and colleagues clarified the taxonomic status of this species, retaining the name Morchella exuberans of Clowez (2012) over M. capitata.
Morchella septimelata is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae described as new to science in 2012. Occurring in western North America, it has been collected from British Columbia, Montana and Oregon, where it fruits at elevations of 1,000 to 2,000 m in coniferous forests in years following slight to moderate burning.
Morchella anatolica is a species of ascomycete fungus in the family Morchellaceae that was described as new to science in 2010. It is found in Southwest Anatolia, Turkey, where it grows on moss-covered stream beds in pine forests. The fruit bodies grow to 30–35 mm (1.2–1.4 in) tall and 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) wide. They are roughly conical, with fleshy longitudinal ribs that lack the cross-ribs characteristic of most other Morchella species. Young specimens have a light lilac tint that darkens or turns grayish in maturity.
Morchella fluvialis is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae. It was described as new to science in 2014 by Clowez and colleagues, following collections from riparian forests in Spain under Alnus glutinosa, Ulmus minor and Eucalyptus camaldulensis, although previous collections from Turkey under Pinus nigra have also been reported. This species, which corresponds to phylogenetic lineage Mes-18, is very close to Morchella esculenta, from which it differs in its elongated cap with oblong pits and predominantly longitudinal ridges, pronounced rufescence, as well as its Mediterranean hygrophilic distribution along rivers and streams.
Morchella kakiicolor is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). It was originally proposed as a form of Morchella quercus-ilicis in a 2012 study by Philippe Clowez, but was later re-combined as an autonomous species by Loizides and colleagues, based on molecular phylogenetic data. In the same study, M. quercus-ilicis f. quercus-ilicis was shown by the authors to be a later synonym of the old taxon Morchella tridentina, and not phylogenetically related to M. kakiicolor.
Morchella eximia is a globally-occurring fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota), first described by Émile Boudier in 1910. In an elaborate phylogenetic and nomenclatural revision of the genus in 2014, Richard and colleagues showed that the taxa Morchella anthracophila, Morchella carbonaria, and Morchella septimelata, proposed in 2012 by Clowez and Kuo et al. respectively, are all later synonyms of this old taxon.
Morchella dunensis, the morel of the dunes, is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). It was first described as a form of Morchella esculenta by Castañera and colleagues in 1996, but was later recombined as a distinct species by Clowez. In a 2014 study by Richard and colleagues, the authors concluded that the taxon was conspecific to Morchella vulgaris, due to its close phylogenetic proximity to the latter. However, following increased molecular sampling and the testing of an isoparatype collection by Loizides and colleagues in 2016, it was revealed that M. dunensis is indeed very closely related to, but phylogenetically distinct from M. vulgaris. This study also showed that the taxon Morchella andalusiae is phylogenetically identical and therefore a later synonym of M. dunensis.
Morchella dunalii is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). Although this widespread species was described as early as 1887 by Emile Boudier, it had not appeared in any of the influential literature or monographic works on the genus until very recently. The revival of the name is owed to Moreau and colleagues, who in 2011 designated a lectotype from an old watercolour painting of this forgotten taxon. Subsequent molecular phylogenetic studies by Richard and colleagues in 2014, matched this taxon to phylogenetic lineage Mel-25.
Morchella purpurascens, the purple morel, is an ascomycete fungus in the family Morchellaceae. It was first described as a variety of Morchella elata by Emile Boudier in 1897, based on a plate previously illustrated by Julius Vincenz von Krombholz. It was then recombined as a distinct species in 1985 by Emile Jacquetant, and validated the following year by Jacquetant and Bon. As with many other morel species, its taxonomical status remained for a long time a subject of debate, until an extensive phylogenetic and nomenclatural study in 2014 by Richard and colleagues confirmed this species' autonomy and matched it to phylogenetic lineage Mel-20.
Morchella exuberans is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). It was described as new to science in a 2012 study by Clowez and corresponds to phylogenetic lineage Mel-9. Morchella capitata, described by Kuo and colleagues later in the same year, is a synonym of this taxon.
Morchella casteneae is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). It was described as new to science in a 2012 study by Clowez and appears to be confined to the Iberian peninsula. A subsequent phylogenetic and nomenclatural study by Richard and colleagues has confirmed M. castaneae as a distinct species and showed the taxa Morchella brunneorosea and Morchella brunneorosea var. sordida to be synonymous.
Morchella sceptriformis is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). It was described as new to science in a 2012 study by Clowez, and corresponds to phylogenetic lineage Mes-3. Morchella virginiana, described later in the same year by Kuo and colleagues, is conspecific to this taxon.
