Verpa bohemica (Krombh.) J. Schroet.
early bell morel
Morchellaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
early bell morel
Morchellaceae
Species account author: Ian Gibson.
Extracted from Matchmaker: Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest.
Introduction to the Macrofungi
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Species Information
Summary:
Features include 1) yellow-brown or tan, bluntly conic to bell-shaped cap attached to stem only at top, the cap surface deeply wrinkled by folds or ribs and often vertically oriented, 2) more or less equal stuffed stem that is whitish, often roughened by small orangish to brownish granules that may form transverse belts or ribs, 3) fruiting on ground in spring, and 4) very large spores in 2-spored asci. Michael Beug has found in the Pacific Northwest a Verpa fitting the macroscopic description of V. bohemica but with 8-spored basidia (pers. comm.). He has also found a 2-spored Verpa in Yakima County that appears like a Verpa bohemica except for an apricot color for the cap - free spores measured (43.8)49.7-59.1 (71.7) x (18.3)18.9-21.1(22.5) microns in water (M. Beug, pers. comm.). The sequencing showed it to simply be Verpa bohemica, and the coloring is shown in two of the attached photos.
Odor:
pleasant (Phillips), slightly acidic (Lincoff(1))
Taste:
pleasant (Phillips), slightly bitter but not unpleasant (Lincoff(1))
Microscopic:
spores 54-80 x 15-18 microns, elliptic-elongate, smooth, without oil droplets; asci 2-spored, (Arora), spores 55-87 x 17-20(22) microns, smooth, cylindric, sometimes slightly curved, colorless; asci 2-spored, 250-350 x 18-25 microns, not blue with iodine; paraphyses cylindric, slightly sinuous, septate, 5-8 microns wide, illustrated branching, (Breitenbach)
Spore Deposit:
yellow (Phillips)
Notes:
Verpa bohemica has been found throughout North America (Lincoff(2)), in the Pacific Northwest, and prairie provinces including AB, (Schalkwijk-Barendsen), and in Switzerland (Breitenbach - very rare). Collections from BC are deposited at Pacific Forestry Centre and the University of British Columbia. A collection from WA is deposited at the University of British Columbia.
EDIBILITY
eaten by many but can cause served stomach cramps and loss of muscular co-ordination, particularly when consumed in large quantities on successive days, (Arora), traditionally parboiled, with water discarded prior to final preparation, (Benjamin)
Habitat and Range
SIMILAR SPECIES
Verpa conica has a smoother more irregularly wrinkled cap and 8-spored asci, (Arora). Morchella semilibera is intergrown with stem over its upper part, (Arora). On one occasion a Verpa otherwise fitting the description of Verpa bohemica was found to have eight-spored asci (by M. Beug, pers. comm.).Habitat
widely scattered to gregarious in woods, thickets, and forest edges, etc., usually fruiting in early spring, typically appearing 1-3 weeks before Morchella species, (Arora), in damp woods along stream banks, pathsides, March to early May, (Phillips), in leaf litter under hardwoods, especially poplars, (Lincoff(1)), on ground, often along riverbanks under cottonwoods, willows, and aspens, often well hidden under dead leaves, (Ammirati), single to gregarious in open hardwood forest, river meadows, hedges, April-May, (Breitenbach for Switzerland)
Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Peniophora humifaciens Burt
Ptychoverpa bohemica (Krombh.) Boud.