Morchella conica

Morchella conica is an old binomial name previously applied to species of fungi in the family Morchellaceae. It is one of three scientific names that had been commonly used to describe black morels, the others being M. angusticeps and M. elata. It was first introduced by mycologist Christian Hendrik Persoon in 1818,^[1] as a superfluous name for the old taxon Morchella continua. According to Richard and colleagues, Fries’ sanctioning applies only at the subgeneric level and the name is illegitimate.^[2]

Morchella conica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Subdivision:	Pezizomycotina
Class:	Pezizomycetes
Order:	Pezizales
Family:	Morchellaceae
Genus:	Morchella
Species:	M. conica
Binomial name
Morchella conica Pers.
Synonyms
Morchella esculenta var. conica (Pers.) Fr.

Morchella conica Mycological characteristics
	Smooth hymenium
	Cap is conical
	Hymenium attachment is not applicable
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is cream
	Edibility is choice or poisonous

Throughout the years, the name M. conica has been invariably applied to many different species by different authors, and DNA analysis in 2014 revealed that morels identified as "M. conica" indeed belonged to Morchella deliciosa, Morchella purpurascens, Morchella tridentina, and Morchella vulgaris.^[2]

References

1. Persoon, CH (1818). Traité sur les Champignons Comestibles (in French). Chez Belin-Leprieur Libraire. p. 257.
2. Richard, Franck; Bellanger, Jean-Michel; Clowez, Philippe; Courtecuisse, Regis; Hansen, Karen; O'Donnell, Kerry; Sauve, Mathieu; Urban, Alexander; Moreau, Pierre-Arthur (30 December 2014). "True morels (Morchella, Pezizales) of Europe and North America: evolutionary relationships inferred from multilocus data and a unified taxonomy". Mycologia (Preliminary version published online). 107 (2): 359–382. doi:10.3852/14-166. PMID 25550303. 14-166.