Morchella conica exhibiting a long fruiting season

Abstract

Morels are known to produce ascocarps during a few weeks in the spring. Here we present findings about a Morchella conica population which produces ascocarps during a period of 8–10 months, from early spring until mid-winter. To the best of our knowledge, this phenomenon has not been described previously. Field investigations correlated the ascocarp appearance with gradual drying of the soil. DNA–PCR fingerprinting indicated that these Morchella shared a similar genetic background.