Summary:
{See also Morels Table.} Morchella importuna is distinguished by regularly laddered, vertically oriented pits and ridges, and urban habitat in landscaping areas, planters, woodchip beds and gardens. Other features include relatively large size; cap that is conic to occasionally ovoid, with vertical ridges and numerous transecting horizontal ridges that create a laddered appearance, the ridges gray becoming dark grayish brown to nearly black, the pits vertically elongated, bald to finely tomentose, and gray to grayish brown, grayish olive or brownish yellow; stem whitish to pale brownish, bald or finely mealy, developing longitudinal ridges and channels; trough between cap and stem that is not deep; and microscopic characters. It is possible that this species will prove to be a synonym of Morchella elata Fries. The description is derived from Kuo(6) except where noted.

Microscopic:
spores 18-24 x 10-13 microns, elliptic, smooth, contents homogeneous; asci 8-spored, 220-300 x 12-25 microns, cylindric, colorless; paraphyses 150-250 x 7-15 microns, septate, cylindric "with rounded to subclavate, subcapitate, subacute or subfusoid apices", colorless or brownish in 2% KOH; elements on sterile ridges 125-300 x 10-30 microns, septate, "terminal cell cylindrical with rounded apex, subclavate, clavate, subcapitate or subfusiform", colorless or brownish in 2% KOH

Notes:
M. importuna is found at least in BC, WA, OR, CA, and NV, (Kuo(6)) and QC, France, Spain, and Switzerland, (Richard(1))

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Morchella vaporaria Bartayres ex Brond
Polyporus hirsutus Wulfen: Fr.