Morchella tomentosa
Species of fungus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Morchella tomentosa, commonly called the gray, fuzzy foot, or black foot morel, is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae.[2] M. tomentosa is a fire-associated species described from western North America, formally described as new to science in 2008.[1]
| Morchella tomentosa | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Pezizomycetes |
| Order: | Pezizales |
| Family: | Morchellaceae |
| Genus: | Morchella |
| Species: | M. tomentosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Morchella tomentosa M.Kuo (2008)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Morchella atrotomentosa McKnight (1987) | |
| Morchella tomentosa | |
|---|---|
| Mycological characteristics | |
 | Smooth hymenium |
 | Cap is conical or ovate |
 | Hymenium attachment is irregular or not applicable |
 | Stipe is bare |
 | Spore print is cream to yellow |
 | Ecology is mycorrhizal or saprotrophic |
 | Edibility is choice |
Morchella tomentosa is identified by its post-fire occurrence, fine hairs on the surface of young fruit bodies, and a thick, "double-walled" stem.[1][3] It also has unique sclerotia-like underground parts.[4] Color can range from black and "sooty" to gray, brown, yellow, or white, although color tends to progress from darker to lighter with age of the fruiting body.[2] Three other wildfire-adapted morels were described from western North America in 2012: M. capitata, M. septimelata, and M. sextelata. None of these three new species share the hairy surface texture of M. tomentosa.[5]
Phylogeny
Based on studies of DNA, M. tomentosa is clearly a distinct species apart from the yellow morels (M. esculenta & ssp.) and black morels (M. elata & ssp.).[4] Mushroom collectors also use the common name "gray morel" for M. esculenta-type morels in eastern North America.[2]
