''Morchella purpurascens'', the purple morel, is an

ascomycete Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The defi ...

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 that ...

''. It was first described as a

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

of ''

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 ...

'' by Emile Boudier in 1897, based on a plate previously illustrated by

Julius Vincenz von Krombholz Julius Vincenz von Krombholz (19 December 1782 – 1 November 1843) was a physician and mycologist born in Oberpolitz (today Horní Police, Czech Republic), northern Bohemia. He studied medicine at the University of Prague, receiving his doctorat ...

. It was then recombined as a distinct

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

in 1985 by Emile Jacquetant, and validated the following year by Jacquetant and

Bon ''Bon'', also spelled Bön () and also known as Yungdrung Bon (, "eternal Bon"), is a Tibetan religious tradition with many similarities to Tibetan Buddhism and also many unique features.Samuel 2012, pp. 220-221. Bon initially developed in t ...

.Jacquetant E, Bon M. (1985). Typifications et mises au point nomenclaturales dans l’ouvrage ‘‘Les morilles’’ (de E. Jacquetant), Nature-Piantanida 1984. Documents Mycologiques 14:1. As with many other

morel ''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 with ...

species, its taxonomical status remained for a long time a subject of debate, until an extensive

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 ...

and

nomenclatural Nomenclature (, ) is a system of names or terms, or the rules for forming these terms in a particular field of arts or sciences. The principles of naming vary from the relatively informal conventions of everyday speech to the internationally ag ...

study in 2014 by Richard and colleagues confirmed this species' autonomy and matched it to phylogenetic lineage ''Mel''-20. The species is characterised by the pinkish or purplish colours on 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 ...

of its young fruit bodies.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15413168 Fungi described in 1897 Fungi of Europe purpurascens