Mushrooms
Northern yellow morel
Morchella prava is a yellow morel described in 2012 from North America. It is catalogued as a culinary morel, and morels must be cooked before eating.
Overview
Morchella prava is a true morel, a sac fungus of the genus Morchella. Its common name, northern yellow morel, places it among the yellow morels of northern North America. It was described as a new species in the 2012 taxonomic revision of true morels in Canada and the United States, by Dewsbury, Moncalvo, Moore and Kuo.
Sources for this section
Identification and taxonomy
The 2012 revision placed the species in the yellow-morel group and gave its esculenta-like stature and irregular, asymmetrical pits and ridges as the main features. Later placements differ between sources, so the clade label should be checked against the current revision. Field guides note that it is often confused with Morchella esculenta and Morchella delicosa, and molecular confirmation is needed for true-morel identity.
Sources for this section
Habitat and season
MushroomExpert describes the species as fruiting from April to June under hardwoods and conifers, often near lakes and rivers in northern North America.
Sources for this section
Food use and cooking
The catalogue records the species as a culinary morel that requires cooking. The sources reviewed do not describe a traditional preparation specific to this species.
Sources for this section
Safety
Raw or undercooked morels can cause serious poisoning. The catalogue cites outbreak evidence showing that cooking reduces the risk but is not an absolute guarantee. Because the species is confused with other yellow morels, identification by an expert is needed before eating any wild-collected morel. The sources reviewed do not state that Morchella prava is safe to eat raw.
Places
North America
Documented use · Region evidenceRecorded from northern North America; no narrower locality is given in the sources.
Community
No community contributions have been published for this entry yet.
Share what you made
Sign in to contribute. Published comments and photos are free to read.
Sources
MycologiaIngredient · Identification
Taxonomic revision of true morels (Morchella) in Canada and the United StatesMorchella prava was described as a new species in the 2012 North American revision.
Cited in: Overview; Identification and taxonomy; Safety
MushroomExpert.comIdentification · Habitat
Morchella pravaIrregular pits and ridges; fruits April to June under hardwoods and conifers near lakes and rivers.
Cited in: Identification and taxonomy; Habitat and season
Midwest Mycological ConsultingSafety · Food use
Morchella americanaRaw or undercooked morels can cause poisoning; cooking is required.
Cited in: Food use and cooking; Safety