''Morchella elata'' is a species of

fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

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.

Taxonomy and phylogeny

The fruit bodies of '' Morchella'' species, including ''M. elata'', are highly polymorphic in appearance, exhibiting variations in shape, color and size; this has contributed to uncertainties regarding taxonomy. Discriminating between the various species is complicated by uncertainty regarding which species are truly biologically distinct. Mushroom hunters refer to them by their color as the species are very similar in appearance and vary considerably within species and age of individual. Early

phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...

analyses supported the hypothesis that the genus comprises only a few species with considerable phenotypic variation. More recent DNA work, however, has revealed more than a dozen distinct groups of morels in North America, and over 60 worldwide. An extensive DNA study showed three discrete

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

s, or genetic groups, consisting of the black morels (''Morchella elata'' and others), the yellow morels ('' Morchella esculenta'' and others), and the white morels ('' Morchella rufobrunnea'' and '' Morchella anatolica''). Species within the Elata clade (also referred to as Distantes), are characterised by the gradual darkening of their sterile ridges upon maturity, with the exception of '' Morchella tridentina'' (='' Morchella frustrata''), which has persistently pale ridges. Within the black and yellow clades, there are dozens of individual species, many

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to individual continents or regions. This species-rich view is supported by studies in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Western Europe Western Europe is the western region of Europe. The region's extent varies depending on context. The concept of "the West" appeared in Europe in juxtaposition to "the East" and originally applied to the Western half of the ancient Mediterranean ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, the

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, and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. The scientific name ''Morchella elata'' was proposed by

Elias Magnus Fries Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist. He is sometimes called the Mycology, "Linnaeus of Mycology". In his works he described and assigned botanical names to hundreds of fungus and li ...

from Sweden in 1822. DNA analysis in 2011 has shown North American black morels to be largely distinct from European species, therefore restricting the use of the ''M. elata'' name to Europe. In 2012, Kuo et al. provided names for many of the North American black morels that may have been referred to as ''M. elata'' in the past. However, in a subsequent study by Richard et al. (2014) proposing a unified taxonomy for the genus, it is suggested that Fries' original description of ''Morchella elata'' may correspond to phylogenetic lineage ''Mel''-10, which has been since described from North America as '' Morchella importuna'', but later shown to have a widespread transcontinental distribution. The variety ''M. elata'' var. ''purpurescens'', characterised by the purple- or pink-colored tinges of its ascocarps, is now considered to belong to a phylogenetically distinct lineage (Richard et al. 2014). Eastern North America * '' M. angusticeps'' * '' M. septentrionalis'' Western North America * '' M. brunnea'' * '' M. capitata'' * '' M. importuna'' * '' M. septimelata'' * '' M. sextelata'' * '' M. snyderi'' * '' M. tomentosa''

Description

''Morchella elata'' has operculate asci (i.e., asci opening by an apical lid to discharge the spores). It further has unicellular

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from , and . Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is named after its glassy appearance on fresh gross pathology. On light microscopy of H&E stained slides, the extracellula ...

ascospores with polar oil droplets. Despite the fact that many interpretations of ''M. elata'' exist throughout the years, most authors agree that Fries' original concept refers to a species with dark, conical ascocarps and more or less parallel vertical ridges, with horizontal interconnecting ridges arranged in a "ladderlike" pattern. This is an edible species, although like other morels, some individuals may be allergic to it, so it must be cooked before being eaten. It can also be dried for later use. However, according to one field guide it may cause gastrointestinal disorder, and cannot easily be identified without a microscope.

Ecology and distribution

''Morchella elata'' fruits during spring on soil. Fries' original description, which was based on a collection from a fir wood in Sweden, reported it as rare: "''In silvis abiegnis, praecipue locis humidis adustis, raro''". However, since the true identity of ''M. elata'' is not yet fully clarified, its exact ecological preferences and distribution remain unclear.

Toxicity

Morels may contain small amounts of monomethylhydrazine (the presence of hydrazine based mycotoxins is controversial since there are no primary references of these substances having been detected in the genus ''Morchella'') or more likely an unknown toxin that is destroyed through cooking, so morel mushrooms should never be eaten raw. It has been reported that even cooked morels can sometimes cause mild adverse effects when consumed with alcohol.

References

External links