Morel Mushroom
(Morcella spp.)
Other Names:
White Morel, Yellow Morel, Black Morel
Range:
Family:
Morchellaceae – Morcella family
Growth Type:
Morels are a very distinct genus of mushrooms. Looking somewhat like a pine cone on a stalk, morels have a spongy, porous, honeycombed appearance. The stems and caps are hollow. The caps of the white morel are white ridged, with tan pores, and as they age, the ridges and pores become yellowish, changing the name to the yellow morel. I have even heard tell of yellow morels which, in perfect conditions, grow to a foot tall, and become giant morels. I have yet to see this phenomenon, so I lend these fables the same weight as I do stories of unicorns, and fairies. The black morel has black ridges with tan pores. The black morel tends to become darker with age. When the cap has turned predominately to all black, it is unpalatable. Morels only have one look a like; Ascomycete spp., or false morels are a group of mushrooms which at first glance appear to be morels, but upon closer scrutiny their differences become glaringly obvious. While Morels have a porous surface, the surface of false morels have a brain-like appearance.
Cap:
¾" - 1 5/8" wide, ¾" - 2" high, the cap is taller than it is wide. This means the cap is elongated and narrowly conical; with dark gray to black longitudinal and radial ribs (sometimes irregular), and long, yellow-brown pits.
Stem:
2" - 4" long, ¾" - 1 5/8" thick; whitish, granular to mealy; hollow.
Gills:
N/A
Spores:
24 - 28 x 12 - 14 µ; elliptical, smooth, located in pits.
Spore Print:
N/A
Height:
2" - 6" tall
Miscellaneous characteristics:
The cap is securely attached to the stalk at base. Both the cap and stem are hollow.
Season:
April - May
Habitat:
Morels prefer to grow at the edges of moist hardwood forests with rotting trees, old orchards, and burned areas. Morels appear only in spring when the warm, moist, rich, soil is at its softest. They prefer elm, ash, aspen, and oak trees. Although I have found them near spruce trees as well. A good place to looko for morels is under or near rotting logs.
Parts Used:
Whole mushroom
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms Description:
The black morel; Black ribbed, honeycombed cap on whitish stalk.
Cap: ¾" - 1 5/8" wide, ¾" - 2" high; elongate and narrowly conical; with dark gray to black longitudinal and radial ribs (sometimes irregular), and long, yellow-brown pits; attached to stalk at base; hollow.
Stalk: 2" - 4" long, ¾" - 1 5/8" thick; whitish, granular to mealy; hollow.
Spores: 24 - 28 x 12 - 14 µ; elliptical, smooth, located in pits.
Cautions:
While a very tasty edible, some people do experience gastric upset when eating black morels. This may be due to the fact that black morels are thought to be composed of numerous varieties. This means that a person can eat black morels one time with no ill effect, and end up sick to their stomachs the next time.
Cautions:
Beware of confusing the morels with the toxic False Morel, (Gyromitra esculenta), see the box below.
Culinary Uses:
Enjoy this choice offering just about any way you can imagine.
The following text is meant for informational purposes only. It is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness or injury. Always consult with a physician or other qualified medical care provider concerning the diagnosis and treatment of any illness or injury.
Medicinal Uses:
None Known
Medicinal Actions:
N/A
The section contains a toxic look alike
False Morel, (Gyromitra esculenta)
Range:
Common in Northern and mountainous areas of North America
brown to yellowish-orange mushroom with sharp-edged gills descending stalk; in clusters on wood or buried wood.
Cap:
1½ - 3 inches tall; 1-4¾ inches wide; irregularly shaped but generally brainlike and often somewhat lobed; wrinkled; bald; pinkish tan to reddish brown, becoming darker or nearly black in age and in prolonged sunlight; undersurface not generally exposed, close to stem, tan to whitish, finely mealy.
Flesh:
Thin; brittle; whitish to tan; slight or chambered
Stalk:
1-3½ inches long; 1/3 to 1-1/3 inches thick; pale yellowish tan to rose to tinged like the cap; usually roundish in cross-section but frequently folded into a figure eight cross-section; bald.
Spores:
19-28 x 10-13 µ; smooth; fusiform or nearly ellipsoid ; usually biguttulate with two small droplets but occasionally uniguttulate or multiguttulate. Asci 8-spored. Paraphyses clavate; 4-10 µ wide; reddish to reddish orange.
When this species is gathered fresh and taken into a dark room, the gills give off an eeris green glow.
Spore Print:
reddish to reddish orange..
Habitat:
Typically fouund under pines.
Season:
Spring.
G. esculata characteristics gleaned from the Mushroom Expert