Morel
Morchella sp.
See artwork and accessories in our shop celebrating the Morel mushroom!
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Disclaimer: Please refrain from picking and consuming mushrooms without proper guidance. If you have an interest in learning how to forage, I strongly encourage you to join your local mycological society. You can find a list of clubs across America, organized by state, on the North American Mycological Society's website.
Etymology: The common name "Morel" and the genus name "Morchella" come from the French word "Morille" and the Old High German word "Morchel," both of which mean "mushroom."
Common/Other Names:
Due to their worldwide spread and popularity, there are A LOT of common names for the Morel. See a list of them and where they are from starting on page 6 of the Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America. Below are some of the more common names for the three major types of morels
Yellow Morels
Sponge Morel
Common Morel
Black Morels
Black Morel
Spikes
Peckerheads
Cows' head
Dog peckers
White/Grey Morels
Blushing Morel
Grey Sponge
Location: Morels are found all over the world, commonly seen in North America, Europe, and Asia.
Ecological Group: Morels are sometimes saprophytic, acting as decomposers for organic materials. At other times, they are mycorrhizal, meaning they form complex relationships with the roots of various trees and shrubs to trade resources such as water and minerals for nutrients. That said, our ecological understanding of Morels is still somewhat vague, with a lot still to learn and explore.
Edible? Yes, though they NEED to be cooked as they are toxic when raw. When cooked, however, they are quite delicious with an earthy, nutty flavor unlike any other mushroom!
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The Crow Tribe of southwestern Montana and northern Wyoming as use morels for soap (Moerman, 1998)
the Omaha Tribe esteemed boiled morels as food. The Omaha-Ponca name for morels was Mikaih Thi, which translates literally as “star sore.” (Gilmore, 1919)
Although loved by many, early Europeans weren’t too enthusiastic about morels. “Cruzatte brought me several large morells,” writes Meriwether Lewis on June 19, 1806, “which I roasted and eat without salt pepper or grease in this way I had for the first time the true taist of the morell which is truly an insippid taistless food. . .” (Pilz et al, 2007)
The first reports of morel cultivation date back to 1882 when a Frenchman named Roze stated that they were able to grow morels in association with Jerusalem Artichokes (Helianthus tuberosus) (Roze, 1882; Scott, 2004). Later claims by French botanist Marin Molliard stated that they were able to grow the mushrooms in "compote des pommes" or apple compost (Molliard, 1904; Scott, 2004). However, these claims did not provide enough evidence that the compost was responsible for their growth (Scott, 2004). Finally, in 1984, a reproducible method of morel cultivation was documented by R. Ower (Ower, 1984).
In 1990, Domino’s Pizza partnered with Neogen Corporation, a food safety organization, to open a farm called 'Morel Mountain' in Michigan. There, they formed the foundation of one of the only successful Morel farms. The farm was sold in 1993 to another company and continued to change ownership in the following decade. It is now owned by Diversified Natural Products and has become one of the most successful indoor Morel farms. (Mayer, 1993; Pilz et al, 2007; Reuters, 1994)
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There are several species of Morels known as burn morels, which are pyrophilic fungi (fungi that use fire to propagate). These species are found in the years following forest fires and even volcanic eruptions, such as the 1980 Mt. St. Helens eruption. That said, the reason behind this phenomenon is unclear. Theories range from changes in soil pH and increased minerals from ash to less ground cover blocking needed resources, and even a decrease in food, forcing them to fruit as a last-ditch effort to propagate (Dix, 1993; Greene, 2010)
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A study done in 1993 found that the most commonly foraged mushrooms in the Pacific northwest included, the Morel alongside the Chanterelle, and Matsutake. (Molina et al, 1993)
The morel market in 2007 was worth $5 - $10 million dollars in north America (Pilz et al, 2007)
In 2002 it was estimate that over 50 million people world wide forage for Morels each year! (Lonik, 2001)
Learn More
Tom Volk’s pages - Tom volk is one of my favoite places to read about fungi. I highly recommend checking out these pages on morels and the other Mushroom of the Month pages!
Ecology and Management of Morels Harvested From the Forests of Western North America - A detailed write up done in 2007 with a very broad number of topics.
References
Dix, N., & Webster, J. (1995). Phoenicoid fungi. In Springer eBooks (pp. 302–321). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0693-1_11
Gilmore, M.R. 1919. Uses of plants by the Indians of the Missouri River region. Thirty-third annual report of the Bureau of American Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 1911-1912. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Online at the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. http://www.swsbm.com/Ethnobotany/MissouriValley-Gilmore-1.pdf.
Greene, D. F., Hesketh, M., & Pounden, E. (2010). Emergence of morel (Morchella) and pixie cup (Geopyxis carbonaria) ascocarps in response to the intensity of forest floor combustion during a wildfire. Mycologia, 102(4), 766–773. https://doi.org/10.3852/08-096 [Request Text]
Lonik, L. (2001). Basically Morels: Mushroom Hunting, Cooking, Lore & Advice. R K T Publishing. [Google Books]
Mayer, C. E. (1993, August 11). THE FUNGUS AMONG US. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/food/1993/08/11/the-fungus-among-us/d63ad863-8b05-48d0-9e9d-be1d9168af11/
Moerman, D. E. (1998). Native American Ethnobotany: Foods, Drugs, Dyes, and Fibers of Native North American Peoples. United States: Daniel E. Moerman. [Book Info]
Molina, R., O’Dell, T. E., Luoma, D. L., Amaranthus, M. P., Castellano, M. A., & Russell, K. (1993). Biology, ecology, and social aspects of wild edible mushrooms in the forests of the Pacific Northwest: a preface to managing commercial harvest. https://doi.org/10.2737/pnw-gtr-309 [Link]
Molliard, M. (1904). Forme conidienne et sclerotes de Morchella esculenta Pers. Revue Général de Botanique, 16, 209-218.
Ower, R. (1982). Notes on the development of the morel ascocarp: Morchella esculenta. Mycologia, 74(1), 142-144. [Link, Read JSTOR free]
Pilz, D., McLain, R. J., Alexander, S. J., Villarreal-Ruiz, L., Berch, S. M., Wurtz, T. L., Parks, C. G., McFarlane, E. M., Baker, B., Molina, R., & Smith, J. E. (2007). Ecology and management of morels harvested from the forests of western North America. https://doi.org/10.2737/pnw-gtr-710 [link]
Reuters. (1994, April 13). Morel-Growing rights are sold. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/04/13/business/morel-growing-rights-are-sold.html
Roze, M. E. (1882). Adherence de la base d’appareils ascospores de Morchella sur Helianthus tuberosus. Bull Soc Bot Fr, 19, 166-167.
Stott, K., & Mohammed, C. (2004). Specialty mushroom production systems: maitake and morels. Australia: RIRDC. [Link]
Disclaimer: Please refrain from picking and consuming mushrooms without proper guidance. If you have an interest in learning how to forage, I strongly encourage you to join your local mycological society. You can find a list of clubs across America, organized by state, on the North American Mycological Society's website.
