Morchella importuna
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''Morchella importuna'' is a species of
fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...
in the family
Morchellaceae The Morchellaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi in the order Pezizales. According to a standard reference work, the family has contained at least 49 species distributed among four genera. However, in 2012, five genera that produce ascoma ...
described from
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
in 2012. It occurs in gardens,
woodchip Woodchip may refer to: * Woodchips, a medium-sized solid material ** Woodchipper A tree chipper or woodchipper is a machine used for reducing wood (generally tree limbs or trunks) into smaller woodchips. They are often portable, being mou ...
beds, and other urban settings of northern
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
region of the United States and Canada. The fungus has also been reported from Turkey, Spain, France, Switzerland, Canada and China, although it is unknown whether this is a result of accidental introductions. It is considered a choice
edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...
mushroom. The
fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...
develop a distinctive ladder-like pattern of pits and ridges on the surface of their conical
caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...
.


Taxonomy

Officially described in 2012, ''Morchella importuna'' was one of 14 new North American species that resulted from the Morel Data Collection Project. The type locality was in King County,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. It was previously identified as
phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
species ''Mel''-10 in a 2011 publication, and erroneously as the "Classic North American Black Morel" in 2005, where it was lumped together with '' Morchella angusticeps'', and what has since been described as '' M. brunnea''. The specific epithet ''importuna'', which means "inconsiderate" or "assertive", refers to the morel's habit of causing "consternation and distress among gardeners and homeowners whose territory has been invaded". As argued in a recent study by Richard et al. however, the name ''Morchella importuna'' is probably a later synonym of an old European taxon, such as ''
Morchella elata ''Morchella elata'' is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae. It is one of many related species commonly known as black morels, and until 2012 the name ''M. elata'' was broadly applied to black morels throughout the globe. Like most ...
'', ''
Morchella vaporaria ''Morchella'', the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales ( division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges wi ...
'' or '' Morchella hortensis''.


Description

The
fruit bodies The sporocarp (also known as fruiting body, fruit body or fruitbody) of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cyc ...
of ''M. importuna'' are high. The
cap A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
is high and measures wide at its widest point. It is conical to widely conical or occasionally egg-shaped. Its surface has pits and ridges, with 12–20 primary vertical ridges and numerous transecting horizontal ridges, creating a laddered appearance. The cap is attached to stipe with a
sinus Sinus may refer to: Anatomy * Sinus (anatomy), a sac or cavity in any organ or tissue ** Paranasal sinuses, air cavities in the cranial bones, especially those near the nose, including: *** Maxillary sinus, is the largest of the paranasal sinuses, ...
about 2–5 mm both deep and wide. The ridges are smooth or finely velvety and colored pale to dark gray when young, becoming dark grayish brown to nearly black in age. They are bluntly rounded when young, but later become sharpened or eroded. Pits are vertically elongated in all stages of development. They have a smooth or finely velvety texture. The pits open and deepen with development, progressing from gray to dark gray when immature to grayish brown, grayish olive or brownish yellow at maturity. The stipe measures high and wide, and is often somewhat thicker near the base. Its whitish to pale brownish surface is smooth or finely mealy with whitish granules. It develops longitudinal ridges and grooves (particularly near the base) as the fruit body matures. The
flesh Flesh is any aggregation of soft tissues of an organism. Various multicellular organisms have soft tissues that may be called "flesh". In mammals, including humans, ''flesh'' encompasses muscles, fats and other loose connective tissues, but ...
is whitish to watery tan, measuring 1–3 mm thick in the hollow cap; in the stipe, this tissue is sometimes arranged as chambers or layers. The sterile inner surface of the cap is whitish and pubescent (covered with short soft "hair"). The
ascospore An ascus (; ) is the sexual spore-bearing cell produced in ascomycete fungi. Each ascus usually contains eight ascospores (or octad), produced by meiosis followed, in most species, by a mitotic cell division. However, asci in some genera or ...
s are elliptical, smooth, and measure 18–24 by 10–13 µm. The cylindrical, hyaline (translucent), asci are eight-spored, measuring 220–300 by 12–25 µm. Paraphyses are
septate In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Human anatomy * Interatr ...
, measuring 150–250 by 7–15 µm. They are cylindrical with variably shaped tips: rounded to roughly club-shaped, pointy, or fuse-shaped. Elements on the sterile ridges are septate and measure 25–300 by 10–30 µm. Terminal cells are cylindrical with a rounded tip that is variably shaped similar to the paraphyses. Both the paraphyses and the terminal cells are hyaline or brownish in dilute (2%)
potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which exp ...
. As a member of the ''Morchella elata'' group of black morels, ''M. importuna'' is sought after as a choice
edible An edible item is any item that is safe for humans to eat. "Edible" is differentiated from "eatable" because it does not indicate how an item tastes, only whether it is fit to be eaten. Nonpoisonous items found in nature – such as some mushroo ...
mushroom. Raw morels are poisonous and should always be cooked.


Similar species

The rare
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
morel ''
Morchella hotsonii ''Morchella'', the true morels, is a genus of edible ascomycota, sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler Cup fungus, cup fungi in the order Pezizales (division (mycology), division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb ...
'', known only from its type collection, is quite similar in appearance to ''M. importuna''. The former species is distinguished by its finely velvety surface.


Habitat, distribution, and ecology

A
saprobic Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...
fungus, ''Morchella importuna'' fruit bodies grow in wood chips, gardens, fire pits, planters, and almost any disturbed ground in urban areas. Kuo suggests that it has mycorrhizal tendencies when grown in an environment with trees. Known primarily from northern California and the
Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...
region of the United States, it has been reported from
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
(Canada),
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, and
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
, although there have been a few isolated reports of the morel from the
Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...
and from eastern North America. Fruiting occurs in the spring, from March until May. Identified as
phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
species "Mel-10", ''Morchella importuna'' has also been found in
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
and
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, but it remains unclear whether dispersal between these distant locations occurred naturally or through accidental
introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...
by humans.


References


External links

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q6909541 importuna Edible fungi Fungi described in 2012 Fungi of Asia Fungi of North America