Habitat
This mushroom is found in a wide variety of environments, including open woodlands, scrub, grassy areas, and roadsides. It frequently appears on wasteland and in gardens. It may grow in association with pine trees, particularly in chalky soils. Specimens occur either solitarily or in small groups on the ground.
Photos
Appearance
- Fruit body
- Ranging from 5 to 25 cm in height, featuring a rounded or ovoid upper honeycomb structure fused directly to the stem.
- Cap
- Distinctly pitted and ridged like a honeycomb with irregular, angular pits. Colors vary from dark grey-brown when young to yellow-brown, ochraceous, or cream-colored as it matures.
- Stem
- Hollow, brittle, and white to cream in color. The surface can be smooth, granular, or furrowed, and the base is often slightly swollen.
Sporecast is better in the app
Plan ahead with 10-day forecasts, see what people are finding nearby, get photo IDs, and track your finds.
Edibility
This species must be cooked before consumption because raw specimens contain hydrazine, a gastrointestinal irritant that breaks down when heated. For maximum safety, parboil the mushroom and discard the water before frying. It can be confused with other morels and the old Common Stinkhorn, but foragers must be particularly careful to avoid poisonous False Morels, which have wrinkled, blob-like caps rather than a honeycomb structure.
Misidentification can be fatal. Never eat a mushroom unless you're 100% sure. This information may be inaccurate. Always consult multiple sources.
Nutrient Source
facultativeIt obtains nutrients by decomposing dead organic matter, but can also form symbiotic relationships with trees.
Common Names
- Danish
- Almindelig morkel, Spiselig morkel
- Dutch
- Gewone morielje
- English
- Morel, Yellow Morel
- Finnish
- pallohuhtasieni
- French
- Morille grise, Morille ronde, Morille des dunes, Morille conique
- German
- Speisemorchel
- Norwegian
- morkler
- Norwegian Bokmål
- rundmorkel, grønnlig rundmorkel
- Norwegian Nynorsk
- rundmorkel, grønleg rundmorkel
- Swedish
- kägelmurkla, rund toppmurkla, morckla, stor toppmurkla, toppmurkla
- Welsh
- Morel Cyffredin
Synonyms
- Coelomorum esculentum
- Helvella esculenta
- Morchella abietina
- Morchella conica
- Morchella cylindrica
- Morchella distans
- Morchella dunensis
- Morchella lutescens
- Morchella prunarii
- Morchella pseudorigida
- Morchella pubescens
- Morchella rigida
- Morchella rotunda
- Morchella rotunda
- Morchella tremelloides
- Morchella umbrina
- Morchella viridis
- Morchella vulgaris
- Morellus esculentus
- Morilla conica
- Morilla esculenta
- Morilla tremelloides
- Morilla villica
- Phalloboletus esculentus
- Phallus esculentus
- Phallus tremelloides