Morchella, the Morels

 This genus is defined by the pronounced pits, and hollow stipe/body.  

The fruitbody of Morhcella spp. have large asymmetrical pits inside of which the microscopic ascus (sac) hold spores for dispersal upon disturbance (like when the wind blows). The stipe AND cap will ALWAYS be hollow. The color of the pileus (cap) is variable from tan-grey-dark brown and often have blackened edges when they dry with age. 

Photo by Jean Cox

Photo by Wendy Lewis Creel

While this morel is blond in color, it will soon darken to look more like the M. americanum pictured above.

Morels appear in the very early spring, right as winter breaks and soil temperatures stabilize around 55F. They like disturbed soil so look at the edges of trails and you may spot one.

Photo by Tim Pfitzer

 Morels dry and reconstitute remarkably well and store (completely dry) for years! I've also quite successfully powdered the cooked and dried fruitbody as a robustly meaty seasoning. 

Morels and their allies need to be cooked thoroughly. Oftentimes the 'poisonings' associated with these types of mushrooms are due to them being under-cooked. That means that even if you are going to powder the mushrooms as a seasoning/salt, you should bake them (~170F) before powdering. 

 The genus Gyromitra also fall into the phylum of ascocarps and are often the harbingers of Morchella (or at least they tend to like the same general environments and fruit at about the same time of year). While these too have a hollow stipe and cap, they will lack the very distinctive pits seen with Morchella. Some of the species in this genus produce a toxin called gyromitrin, which can cause renal failure. Our stance at the AMS is to not eat them as they are not 'beginner' mushrooms.  

The genus Phallus, a branch of the stinkhorns (Phallaceae) will actually erupt from an 'egg' like structure and be covered with sticky and stinky spore mass called a gleba. The stipes will not be hollow, and you probably don't want to eat these stinky things.