Morchella
Sign in to saveMorchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales (division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges with pits composing their caps.
Taxonomy · GBIF
GENUS
- KingdomFungi
- PhylumAscomycota
- ClassPezizomycetes
- OrderPezizales
- FamilyMorchellaceae
via GBIF · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- edible mushroom
- Parent taxon
- Morchellaceae
- Image
- Morchella conica 1 beentree.jpg
Show 3 more facts
- P105
- genus
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
24 sectionsContents
- Description
- Similar species
- Taxonomy
- Early taxonomic history
- Classification
- Section ''Rufobrunnea''
- Section ''Morchella''
- Section ''Distantes''
- Unresolved classification
- Phylogeny
- Distribution and habitat
- Transcontinental species
- Ecology
- Association with wildfire
- Cultivation
- Toxicity
- Uses
- Nutrition
- Gastronomical value and culinary uses
- In popular culture
- Vernacular names
- See also
- References
- External links
Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales (division Ascomycota). 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 Catalan and French cuisine, but can be toxic if consumed raw or undercooked. 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.