Common Morel

Morchella esculenta, commonly known as the common morel, morel, yellow morel or sponge morel, is a species of fungus that fruits under hardwoods and conifers for a short period each spring and is also associated with old orchards and disturbed ground. Each fruiting body begins as a tightly compressed, grayish sponge with lighter ridges and expands into a large, pitted yellow-brown cap fused to a hollow white to yellow stem, and it is one of the most readily recognized and highly sought-after of the edible mushrooms.