Morchella steppicola, commonly known as the morel of the steppes or blistered morel, is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). Originally described from the steppic meadows of Ukraine in 1941,[1] this ancient relic of the last ice age corresponds to Mes-1, the earliest-diverging phylogenetic lineage in section Esculenta.[2]
Other than its unique –for the genus– ecological adaptation, this species boasts some remarkable features, such as the densely "blistered" or "merulioid" ridges of its cap, a chambered stem, and strongly striate spores.[3]
References
↑Зерова М.Я. Новий зморшок із цілинного степу (Morchella steppicola Zerova sp. nov.) // Бо тан. журн. АН УРСР. — 1941. — 2, No 1. — С. 155—159.
↑"Morchella steppicola Zer.: морфологiчнi особливостi, ультраструктура та поширення в пiвденно-схiднiй Украïнi" (in Ukrainian). Ukrainian Botanical Journal64 (6): 867–874. 2007.
Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella steppicola. Read more
