Morel conical (Morchella esculenta)
- Department: Ascomycota (Ascomycetes)
- Subdivision: Pezizomycotina (Pezizomycotins)
- Class: Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes)
- Subclass: Pezizomycetidae (Pezizomycetes)
- Order: Pezizales (Pezizales)
- Family: Morchellaceae (Morels)
- Genus: Morchella (morel)
- Type: Morchella esculenta (Conical morel)
At the moment (2018) edible morel is classified as a species Morchella esculenta.
Hat: conical elongated shape, up to three cm in diameter. Up to 10 cm high. Reddish-brown with a green or gray tint. It is black or also with a hint of brown. Hat fused with a leg. The hat is hollow inside. The surface is cellular, mesh, resembling honeycombs.
Leg: hollow, straight, whitish or yellowish. Cylindrical shape with longitudinal grooves.
Pulp: brittle, white, waxy. In its raw form, it does not have a particularly pronounced smell and taste.
Spread: It occurs on well-heated soils, conflagrations and deforestation. Often the mushroom can be found in aspen forests. The conical morel, like all morels, bears fruit in the spring, you need to look for it from April to mid-May. Morels prefer places where there is carrion, so lovers of this species sometimes breed them at home in the garden around old apple trees.
Similarity: has some resemblance to a related species – Morel cap. With poisonous and inedible mushrooms, it has no similarities. In principle, morels are generally difficult to confuse with known poisonous mushrooms.
Edibility: Morel conical – edible mushroom with tender tasty pulp. At the same time, it is considered conditionally edible and requires preliminary welding for 15 minutes.