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the mycelium. In favorable conditions, this mesh-like network of mycelia spreads, often joining with the mycelia of neighboring morels until a "mother fungus" covers an extensive area. That bit of biology explains, in part, why morels often are found in colonies and why, if growing conditions remain favorable, a morel patch can persist year after year.
On the surface of the mycelium most mushrooms produce enzymes that break down large molecules of the decaying matter on which the mushroom feeds. The more primitive morel does not produce such enzymes, and must feed on small molecules or those already processed by bacteria and molds. In part, that explains the difficulty of producing morels commercially. The mycelia of morels are less resistant to dehydration than other mushrooms, a possible reason why mushroom hunting grounds that have been productive year after year can literally dry up.
More highly-evolved fungi, such as the toadstool-shaped mushrooms, have caps. On the underside of the caps are row upon row of delicate gills on which spores are produced. The caps protect the delicate spores from being prematurely dislodged by rain. Morels produce their spores in pod-like sacs, called asci, which are enclosed in the tissue of the club-shaped fruiting body. The honeycombed, pitted surface of the morel provides maximum surface area on which spore-bearing asci can develop. Each morel fruiting body contains millions of asci.
Although they are microscopic, the four-to-eight morel spores in each ascus are large compared to those of other mushrooms. When the fruiting body has matured and begins to dry, the "lid" of the ascus opens and the spores spill out. If they fall on favorable soil, they give rise to a new morel mycelium, much like seeds give rise to new plants.
Because morel spores are relatively large, they are not carried on the wind as easily as those of other mushrooms, and are less likely to colonize new areas. That is the second reason morels are found in groups, often called herds by morel stalkers. Lone morels are likely to be pioneers growing from spores that were carried away from the mother fungus.
The fruiting body of the morel is first evident as a tiny knot on the threads of the mycelium. As the soil temperature rises in spring the knot enlarges rapidly, cell after cell, until a tiny club forms and pushes to the soil surface. The fleshy club, 90 percent water, is a delicate structure that can climb to sunlight only through loose, moist soil. That narrows a morel hunter's search to sandy loam soils or heavier soils with a deep humus layer. Raw clay soils are not productive hunting grounds.
Above ground the fruiting body continues to swell, if its growing site remains warm and moist. In three-to-five days it reaches full size and begins to dry. At least one mycologist has speculated that morels in warmer and drier regions on the Great Plains are developing thicker tissue on the fruiting club than those in more humid regions as a way to resist desiccation. If you measure morel hunting success by the pound, not the peck, Nebraska may be among the best of places.
Depending upon what authority you accept, there are three, four or up to 60 species of morels. One mycologist flatly states that "morel types are so variable that nomenclature is in a state of confusion." Such details are of little importance to those of us who only want to eat morels. There are, though, several readily distinguishable types.
The most common and abundant is Morchella esculenta, known by the common names yellow morel, sponge morel and butter sponge. Usually growing two-to-six inches tall, their diameter is about half their height. The pits of the pine-cone-shaped fruiting head are irregular in shape, but usually more broad and rounded than those of other morel species. The ridges and pits are usually the same yellow-brown.
The black or slender-cap morel, Morchella angusticeps, is the first to emerge in the spring. They are only two-to-four inches tall and gray to gray-tan. The ridges grow darker as the conical fruiting body matures, and the pits are usually longer than they are wide. Black morels are edible, but mycologists usually hedge, adding cautionary notes: Eating large quantities should be avoided, alcohol should not be consumed at the same time, those showing signs of decay should be discarded, and some people who eat them may experience mildly upset stomachs. If black morels carried warning labels, they would be no more ominous than those on over-the-counter cold medications.
As Morchella esculenta season ends, the thick-footed or bigfoot morel, Morchella angusticeps, begins to appear. As the common names imply, the bigfoot has a large stalk relative to the club head of the fruiting body, which is more triangular than other morels. The cap is darker in color than M. esculenta, and the pits are more shallow and elongated, some nearly three-quarters of an inch long. The bigfoot is the giant of the morel world, with some individuals growing to 12 inches tall. They grow in the same places as other morels, and, while not as attractive as M. esculenta, they are choice eating.
A fourth type, Morchella deliciosa, the white or white-ridged morel, is as delicious as its Latin name suggests. Seldom more than two inches tall, it is the last to appear in spring. The ridges on the cap are characteristically white and do not darken with age. The dark brown pits are long and narrow. It prefers grassy areas on woodland edges, particularly along small creeks.
The wooded bluffs and floodplains of the Missouri River and the lower reaches of the Platte, Elkhorn, Niobrara, Blue, Loup and Republican rivers are the state's prime habitat, but morels are found throughout Nebraska in varied habitats. Morel habitat is scarce in western Nebraska because of its lower humidity, less-extensive woodlands and a greater exposure to desiccating winds. But where habitat exists, morels find it.
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