Morel semi-free (Morchella semilibera) photo and description

Morel semi-free (Morchella semilibera)

• Morchella hybrida;
• Morchella rimosipes.

Morel semi-free (Morchella semilibera) is a mushroom belonging to the morel family (Morchellaceae)

External Description

The cap of semi-free morels is located freely in relation to the leg, without growing together with it. The color of its surface is brown, the size of the cap of the semi-free morel is small, characterized by a conical shape. It has sharp, longitudinally directed partitions and diamond-shaped cells.

The pulp of the fruiting body of the semi-free morel is very thin and brittle, exudes an unpleasant odor. the leg of the semi-free morel is hollow inside, most often has a yellowish tint, sometimes it can be white. The height of the fruit body (with a hat) can reach 4-15 cm, but sometimes larger mushrooms are also found. The height of the stem varies between 3-6 cm, and its width is 1.5-2 cm. Mushroom spores have no color, are characterized by an elliptical shape and a smooth surface.

Grebe season and habitat

Morel semi-free (Morchella semilibera) begins to actively bear fruit in May, grows in woodlands, gardens, groves, parks, on fallen leaves and last year’s vegetation, or directly on the surface of the soil. You don’t see this species very often. The fungus of this species prefers to develop under lindens and aspens, but it can also be seen under oaks, birches, in thickets of nettles, alder and other tall grasses.

Edibility

Edible mushroom.

Similar types and differences from them

Outwardly, the semi-free morel looks like a mushroom called a morel cap. In both species, the edges of the cap are located freely, without adhering to the stem. Also, the described fungus is close in its external parameters to the conical morel (Morchella conica). True, in the latter, the fruiting body is slightly larger in size, and the edges of the cap always grow together with the surface of the stem.

Other information about the mushroom

On the territory of Poland, a mushroom called morel semi-free is listed in the Red Book. In one region of Germany (Rhine) Morchella semilibera is a common mushroom that can be harvested in the spring.