Welcome to Mushroom World
Step into the fascinating world of mushrooms with Mushroom World – your go-to resource for fungi information. Our site offers clear information and beautiful images of mushrooms.
If you're curious about what fungi actually are and how they differ from plants and animals, be sure to visit our what are fungi? page for an easy-to-understand explanation.
Since there are thousands of known species of mushrooms, we have limited our database to the most common ones. New species are also continuously added to the site.
Come and explore the wonders of mushrooms with us. We hope you find our site informative, inspiring, and a valuable resource on your journey of mushroom discovery.
What you can do on Mushroom World
Browse the database
Explore mushrooms from the alphabetical list or search by name or properties.
Identify a mushroom
Know some characteristics but not the name? Use our mushroom identification helper to narrow it down.
New to identification? Start with identification basics.
Test your knowledge
Try our identification quiz and see how many mushrooms you recognise. Each run gives you new questions.
Upload your photos
Have good mushroom photos to share? Use the upload form and we will see if we can include them on the site.
Today's Mushroom
A quick highlight from our database
Today's mushroom is Morchella elata (Black Morel). It grows in Europe.
Dimensions: 2-4 cm diameter * 5-15 cm tall
Description:
Morchella elata, also known as Black Morel has a conical cap with distinct black ridges and brown to smoky-grey pits. The stem is white with a rough, mealy or granular surface and hollow centre. The mushroom fruits in spring.
Cap is yellowish-brown, with darker parallel longitudinal ribs that are connected to form honeycomb-like pits. The vertical ridges are continuous and for the most part fairly well aligned, while the more randomly spaced horizontal ridges that run between pairs of vertical ridges are noticeably narrower. The flesh is white, brittle, thin and hollow. Stem creamy-white, smooth at the top but usually grooved near the base. It has just one hollow chamber. Spore print pale cream.
Microscopic Features: Spores are ellipsoidal, smooth, measuring 18-25 x 11-15µm, and hyaline, with oil droplets at each end.
Similar species include other Morchella species like Morchella esculenta (Common Morel). Gyromitra species can also be mistaken as Morchella elata but they lack the pitted cap and have a chambered, rather than a hollow, stem. One of these is Gyromitra esculenta (False Morel).
Note: The scientific name Morchella elata was proposed by Elias Magnus Fries from Sweden in 1822. DNA analysis in 2011 has shown North American black morels to be largely distinct from European species, therefore restricting the use of the Morchella elata name to Europe.
Morchella elata on the www.first-nature.com web site.
Morchella elata on Wikipedia.
If you are interested in this mushroom, look it up in our database for more detailed photographs and additional information.
Many mushrooms are poisonous, and some can be lethally toxic. Distinguishing between edible and poisonous mushrooms can be very challenging. Therefore, we strongly advise against consuming wild mushrooms. This website does not contain any information about the edibility or toxicity of mushrooms.
Although efforts have been made to ensure accuracy on this website, the information may contain errors and omissions. Therefore, all content provided is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be relied upon or used as a basis for consuming any plants or mushrooms.
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