Morel (Morchella species)

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More names for these fungi

The Dakota and Anishinaabe were among the earliest people to name Minnesota’s plants, fungi, and animals, as well as to understand them in relation to Minnesota’s climate and seasons. Those original names are still in use, and several are included on the Season Watch website. However, complete translations were not available.

Latin (or scientific name): Morchella (Morcella is the name of a genus with many species, several of which live in Minnesota.)

The scientific community has a convention of assigning agreed-upon Latin names to every kind of organism. Using scientific names helps people communicate confidently about the same organism and organize lifeforms based on how closely related they are.

Page contents

About the morel mushroom

Visual guide to phenology

More resources

Two morel mushrooms are in sunlight. They have pale tan stalks and brown tops that are highly textured.
Morel mushrooms growing from a soil covered with pine needles and light vegetation.
June 17, 2022, St. Louis County, Minnesota
Photo © ksoland, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC)
iNaturalist observation

About morels

  • Morels are edible mushrooms that grow two to six inches tall and have porous, sponge-like caps. 
  • Morels typically appear under dying trees, especially poplar, ash, and elms. 
  • In Minnesota, morels can generally be seen between April and June. They usually emerge after a rainfall event. 
  • Morel caps release spores that germinate and produce underground, root-like structures call mycelium. 
  • Fun fact: Morels are difficult to cultivate. Therefore, they are often harvested from the wild growing populations.

Visual guide to phenology

Watch for morels' presence (or absence) and abundance at different times of year.

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Note to observers

This page explains general clues to watch and listen for when observing morel phenology. However, this page does not explain how to identify morels or collect data in a standardized way.

A highly textured morel cap is poking up from soil and leaf litter. The emerging mushroom is shades of tan and brown.
A morel mushroom grows in what appears to be an open, sunny setting. The mushroom's stalk is a creamy color and its cap is dark brown, almost black, and highly textured.
A morel mushroom growing from soil covered in leaf litter. The mushroom's stalk is creamy colored and its top is brown with deep, irregularly-shaped pits, or sinuses.
This morel mushroom is drying out and rotting. It is discolored with shades of gray and brown. Some of its surface is covered with a dusty-looking, greenish mold.
This morel mushroom has either decayed, been eaten by animals, or both. What remains of it is an irregularly shaped, golden tan mass.

More resources

Listen to KAXE/KBXE broadcasts tagged "morel mushrooms"

Morel species in the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas:

Article on harvesting morel mushrooms by University of Minnesota Extension

 

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Co-author: Lynsey Nass, Minnesota Master Naturalist