Morels
The Pacific Northwest has numerous native species of morels. These mushrooms are included in the genus Morchella, the true morels, which can be found across the world.
Many morel species are completely endemic to their native areas, but some species are found on multiple continents. Whether the latter were spread by human activities or not remains unclear.
The taxonomy and evolutionary history of the genus has been under study in recent years and is still not fully resolved. It is subject to change as research continues. The species included in this article are those that are most relevant today; some unresolved species have been excluded.
Morchella clades
Currently, Morchella is divided into three clades: the Rufobrunnea clade (white morels), the Esculenta clade (yellow morels), and the Elata clade (black morels). Species from all three clades are found in the Pacific Northwest.
The Rufobrunnea clade is the oldest of the three and appears to have originated in the Mediterranean Basin. The Esculenta clade originated in Asia, and later spread to Europe and North America. The Elata clade likely started here in western North America, with Morchella tomentosa (the black-foot or fuzzyfoot morel). Most of our native species are from the Elata clade.
Types of morels
We have quite a few native and similar-looking morel species in the Pacific Northwest. In practice, common names are applied inconsistently to various species of morels. The common names I am using below are chosen for clarity and consistency.
In addition to true morels, mushrooms from a closely related genus, Verpa, are commonly referred to as “early morels”. Due to their similarity to morels, I’ve included them here.
With species that have synonyms, I have opted to use the oldest name for the species rather than any later names when a species has been shown to be the same.
Cooking with morels
Many morels are difficult to distinguish from each other but, fortunately, morels as a group are all edible. However, they must be cooked and should not be consumed raw. Because they are difficult to cultivate, they are collected from the wild, and are frequently dried. Morels are often dried to preserve them.
Species
Black morels
Burn black morels
Gray morel (Morchella tomentosa)
Burn black morels (Morchella eximia, Morchella sextelata, and Morchella exuberans)
Natural black morels
Black morel (Morchella brunnea)
Mountain blond morel (Morchella tridentina)
Snyder’s morel (Morchella snyderi)
Landscape morel (Morchella importuna)
Half-free morels
Half-free morel (Morchella populiphila)
Blond morels
Blond morels (Morchella americana and Morchella prava)
White morels
Blushing morel (Morchella rufobrunnea)
Cultivated morels
Thimble morels
Early morel (Verpa bohemica)
Bell morel (Verpa conica)
Black morels
Most of our morel species are found in the Elata clade. The species Morchella tomentosa, known as the the gray morel or fuzzyfoot morel, is the basal species of the clade.
Morchella elata, the namesake of the clade, is a European species that does not occur in North America. Morels in the Elata clade have elongated, vertical pits on the cap in mature fruit bodies and often feature a space or indentation where the cap attaches to the stipe (stem). Species in the clade have ridges that darken as they mature, with the notable exception of the mountain blond morel.
Our native black morels can be divided into burn black morels, natural black morels, and half-free morels.
Burn black morels
Fire plays an important role in the ecology of western North America. Many native species, including mushrooms, have adapted to take advantage of the disturbance caused by fires. Burn morels, unique to western North America, fruit abundantly the year after light to moderate fires affect a forested area. These species are available in spring and sometimes summer. They are found throughout the Pacific Northwest.
The gray morel (Morchella tomentosa), also known as the fuzzyfoot morel, is generally gray to black in color, but can also range from brown to tan or almost white, with a lighter color more common on older fruiting bodies exposed to sunlight. Its surface displays fine hairs and its stem has thick walls. The mushrooms appear in lightly to moderately burned forests in higher altitude Douglas-fir forests throughout the Pacific Northwest. They fruit the year after a fire, but may continue to appear in smaller numbers in successive seasons.
In eastern North America, the immature form of Morchella esculentoides, is also called a gray morel. Here in western North America, only Morchella tomentosa is referred to by that name by commercial collectors.
Burn black morels (Morchella eximia (syn. septimelata), Morchella sextelata, and Morchella exuberans (syn. capitata)) are three highly similar burn morel species that are difficult to separate without genetic testing. M. sextelata and M. septimelata are so visually similar they cannot be distinguished on the basis of physical characteristics, although they aren’t actually particularly closely related. M. exuberans can be differentiated somewhat by its lower stem, which is often chambered. All three can be found in a greenish or olive color. These are referred to by commercial pickers as “greenies” or “pickles”. All three species are lighter in color when young and develop darker ridges as they age.
Natural black morels
Natural black morels grow in areas that have not been affected by fire.
Morchella brunnea is a natural black morel that occurs in western North America. It’s the western counterpart to Morchella angusticeps, the black morel found in eastern North America. It is difficult to visually separate the two species but only M. brunnea is found in our region. Black morels are found under hardwood trees in spring. They are found throughout the Pacific Northwest and may have a wider range in western North America.
Morchella tridentina (syn. frustrata, conica) is the odd one out in the Elata clade. Unlike other black morels, mountain blonds remain yellowish to tan in color throughout their development. Mountain blonds are found under both hardwoods and conifers in spring. They are likely found throughout western North America but their presence has only been scientifically confirmed in California and Oregon.
Snyder’s morel (Morchella snyderi) is a morel that was recently introduced as a species in 2012. Lighter in color than other black morels, its appearance is similar to that of mountain blonds early in its development but the cap usually develops brown to black ridges with maturity and the stem develops prominent ridges and pits. Snyder’s morels are found in spring in coniferous forests throughout montane western North America.
Morchella importuna is commonly found in urban settings, hence its common name, the landscape morel. They appear in mulch and gardens in late winter and early spring throughout the Pacific Northwest. Unlike most morels, they are saprotrophic, meaning they feed on organic matter.
Half-free morels
The half-free morel, Morchella populiphila, is a species of morel found in Nevada, Northern California, and Oregon. It’s found near rivers throughout our region. The mushrooms occur under black cottonwood trees (Populus trichocarpa) from late winter to mid-spring, shortly after Verpa mushrooms appear (see “Early morels” section further below).
Two other morels from elsewhere in the world, Morchella punctipes, from eastern North America, and Morchella semilibera, are morphologically indistinguishable from our local Morchella populiphila, but do not naturally occur here.
Unlike other morels, the cap on these mushrooms is only attached half-way, hence their common name. Half-free morels have a more mild flavor than other morels and they are more brittle, breaking easily. Drying them before cooking them can help with this issue. Because of these characteristics, they tend not to be as valued as other morels, but they are still good to eat.
Blond morels
Morels in the Esculenta clade have a more rounded shape than morels in the Elata clade and are generally lighter in color. Their ridges do not darken as they age. The Esculenta clade is named after Morchella esculenta, a European morel that does not occur in North America, although the name is often misapplied to the species that are native here.
Two species of morel from the Esculenta clade, Morchella americana (syn. esculentoides) and Morchella prava, are commonly known as blond morels.
M. americana is the most common and widespread morel in North America, found across the continent. It’s especially common on the eastern side of the continent. In western North America, it is found near rivers under hardwoods, especially cottonwoods. It can also be found in urban settings. The mushroom is medium to large in size and has an egg-shaped cap.
M. prava is new to science, first described in 2012, but has been reported in the Pacific Northwest. It looks similar to M. americana, but usually smaller and more contorted in shape.
M. americana occurs throughout spring; M. prava appears a bit later, in mid-spring.
White morels
The Rufobrunnea clade is the basal clade for the entire genus Morchella, meaning that all other morels evolved from this clade.
We have one species of white morel in the Pacific Northwest: the blushing morel, Morchella rufobrunnea. It’s one of only two species in its clade, the other being Morchella anatolica. Both mushrooms are present in the Mediterranean Basin, which has led scientists to conclude that the region is the place of origin of the genus Morchella.
The blushing morel, Morchella rufobrunnea, is visually distinct from other morel species. The mushroom has a cap that is often twisted and pointed, with dark pits and very light ridges that both mature to a more yellow color. It bruises a reddish-brown color when touched or damaged (hence its common name).
Morchella rufobrunnea is found in the Mediterranean Basin, Australia, and along the West Coast of North America. In our region, it’s found in Oregon and California. Blushing morels are saprotrophic, meaning they feed on decaying organic matter. The mushrooms are found in landscape settings and in disturbed areas in winter and early spring.
Cultivated morels have been grown in controlled indoor environments since 1982, when San Francisco resident Ronald Ower published a paper detailing a process to cultivate them. Recent DNA testing showed that the blushing morel is the species used.
Thimble morels
Thimble morels are mushrooms in the genus Verpa. They aren’t true morels, since they are in a different genus, but are closely related and found alongside the genus Morchella in the family Morchellaceae. They are often grouped together because of their physiological similarities, but unlike true morels, their caps are completely free from the side of the stems, attached only from the very top. The stems of the mushrooms, especially young ones, are also filled with a pithy, cotton-like tissue. Like morels, Verpa mushrooms should be cooked before consuming.
In the Pacific Northwest, we have two species of thimble morels.
The early morel (Verpa bohemica) also known as the “wrinkled thimble morel”, is found under hardwoods near rivers and streams in late winter and early spring, usually before true morels begin to fruit. They are sometimes found near conifers.
The bell morel (Verpa conica) has a smoother cap than V. bohemica and is often smaller. Bell morels also fruit in early spring . It’s very possible that the Verpa conica from our region will be found to be a distinct species from the European one it currently shares a name with. I will update this if that is the case.
Other false morels
Morels can be confused with a couple of toxic mushrooms that look superficially similar. These are Gyromitra esculenta and two Helvella species.
Gyromitra esculenta is the species is the most commonly referred to as a “false morel”. These mushrooms have a wrinkly rather than honeycombed appearance and a chambered stem. They appear during the same season as morels. G. esculenta contains a toxin called “gyromitrin”, which causes poisonings and can lead to death. Oddly enough, although it has very well-documented lethality and is generally prohibited from sale, it is still consumed in some parts of Europe. Personally, I’d argue that it’s just not worth the risk, as it’s obviously poisonous and dangerous. Don’t eat it.
Helvella vespertina and Helvella dryophila, commonly known as “elfin saddles”, are also found in the Pacific Northwest. H. vespertina appears in under conifers fall and winter, whereas H. dryophila shows up under oaks from late fall to spring. They almost identical in appearance except that H. dryophila is generally larger in size. As a false morel, I find that they’re only vaguely similar to morels, with a weird, wrinkly black cap. Helvella mushrooms are considered edible by some but are not choice and can be poisonous if not cooked properly. Probably best avoided.
