Morchella rufobrunnea

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by Michael Kuo

This distinctive morel was originally described from Vera Cruz, Mexico, where mycologists Gastón Guzmán and Fidel Tapia collected it. DNA testing of morels sent in to the Morel Data Collection Project has revealed several collections from California to be genetically identical to the Mexican Morchella rufobrunnea. The California specimens were all "landscaping morels," fruiting in yards and gardens in coastal areas in February.

Unlike many of the genetically distinct morel species that DNA testing has revealed, Morchella rufobrunnea is also morphologically distinct--meaning it has observable features that separate it from other species of morels. When young its cap is often twisted and pointy, reminiscent of a child's ghost costume at Halloween, and it has dark pits and nearly white ridges. By maturity the pits and ridges are more or less tan. The most distinctive feature, however, is the fact that all parts of this morel bruise salmon pink to rusty brown; like Amanita rubescens, for example, it is "rubescent."

Morchella rufobrunnea is the proper name for the "Morchella deliciosa" described by western American authors, and it is quite distinct from the Morchella deliciosa described by European mycologists, and from the North American Deliciosas. In addition, I suspect that the morel cultivated by R. Ower (who patented the morel cultivation process) is also Morchella rufobrunnea, to judge from photos.

Description:

Ecology: Uncertain. Clearly saprobic when growing in tree-less environments, but potentially mycorrhizal in other locations; apparently limited to disturbed ground in North America; originally recorded from the Gulf Coast of Mexico on a road bed; found with frequency in February in coastal California landscaping sites, usually in the year following the disturbance to the ground.

Cap: 6-12 cm tall and 3-5 cm wide; conical or nearly so, especially in youth; pitted and ridged, with the pits and ridges typically elongated vertically; when young with nearly white ridges and black pits; when mature with pale tan pits and ridges; bruising salmon to reddish brown; completely attached to the stem; hollow.

Stem: 3-9 cm high and 1-2.5 cm wide; more or less equal, but sometimes swollen at the base; whitish above, gray or tan below; smooth or finely powdery at the apex; bruising salmon to reddish brown; hollow.

Spore Print: Pale orange or yellowish orange.

Microscopic Features: Spores 20-24 x 14-16 µ; smooth, elliptical, without oil droplets. Asci 300-360 x 16-20 µ.

REFERENCES: Guzmán & Tapia, 1998 (Mycologia 90: 705-714). (Arora, 1986 ["M. deliciosa"]; Guzmán & Tapia, 1998.)

MATERIAL STUDIED: MDCP 06059601 (M. rufobrunnea isotype), MDCP 03180301, MDCP 03300302, MDCP 03180401.

Further Online Information:

"Morchella deliciosa" at MykoWeb

Type Collection

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Cite this page as:

Kuo, M. (2004, July). Morchella rufobrunnea. Retrieved from the MushroomExpert.Com Web site: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/morchella_rufobrunnea.html.