Morchella semilibera

Morchella semilibera, commonly called the half-free morel, is an edible species of fungus^[1] in the family Morchellaceae native to Europe and Asia.^[2][3][4]

Morchella semilibera
Morchella semilibera
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Pezizomycetes
Order:	Pezizales
Family:	Morchellaceae
Genus:	Morchella
Species:	M. semilibera
Binomial name
Morchella semilibera DC. (1805)
Synonyms
Mitrophora semilibera (DC.) Lév (1846) Morchella patula var. semilibera (DC.) S.Imai (1954)

Morchella semilibera 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 or can cause allergic reactions

DNA analysis has shown that the half-free morels, which appear nearly identical on a macroscopic scale, are a cryptic species complex, consisting of at least three geographically isolated species.^[5] Because de Candolle originally described the species based on specimens from Europe, the scientific name M. semilibera should be restricted to the European species.^[2] In 2012, Morchella populiphila was described from western North America, while Peck's 1903 species name Morchella punctipes was reaffirmed for eastern North American half-free morels.^[4] M. semilibera and the other half-free morels are closely related to the black morels (M. elata and others).^[5]

A proposal has been made to conserve the name Morchella semilibera against several earlier synonyms, including Phallus crassipes, P. gigas and P. undosus. These names, sanctioned by Elias Magnus Fries, have since been shown to be the same species as M. semilibera.^[6]

References

1. Phillips, Roger (2010). Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books. p. 364. ISBN 978-1-55407-651-2.
2. Kuo M. (April 2006). "Half-free morels (Morchella species)". MushroomExpert.com. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
3. Gibson, Ian (2009). "Morels & False Morels of the Pacific Northwest: An Introduction". Pacific Northwest Key Council. Retrieved 2011-04-18.
4. Kuo M, Dewsbury DR, O'Donnell K, Carter MC, Rehner SA, Moore JD, Moncalvo JM, Canfield SA, Stephenson SL, Methven AS, Volk TJ (11 April 2012). "Taxonomic revision of true morels (Morchella) in Canada and the United States". Mycologia. 104 (5): 1159–77. doi:10.3852/11-375. PMID 22495449. S2CID 45219627.
5. O'Donnell K, Rooney AP, Mills GL, Kuo M, Weber NS, Rehner SA (Mar 2011). "Phylogeny and historical biogeography of true morels (Morchella) reveals an early Cretaceous origin and high continental endemism and provincialism in the Holarctic". Fungal Genetics and Biology. 48 (3): 252–265. doi:10.1016/j.fgb.2010.09.006. PMID 20888422. Archived from the original on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2018-12-29.
6. Moreau PA, Bellanger JM, Clowez P, Courtecuisse R, Hansen K, Knudsen H, O'Donnell K, Richard F (2014). "Proposal to conserve the name Morchella semilibera against Phallus crassipes, P. gigas and P. undosus" (PDF). Taxon. 63 (3): 677–8. doi:10.12705/633.20.

External links

• Media related to Morchella semilibera at Wikimedia Commons
• Morchella semilibera in Index Fungorum
• Morchella semilibera in MycoBank.