Morchella steppicola | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Division: | Ascomycota |
Class: | Pezizomycetes |
Order: | Pezizales |
Family: | Morchellaceae |
Genus: | Morchella |
Species: | M. steppicola
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Binomial name | |
Morchella steppicola Zerova (1941)
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Morchella steppicola, commonly known as the morel of the steppes or blistered morel, is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae (Ascomycota). Originally described from the steppic meadows of Ukraine in 1941,[1] this ancient relic of the last ice age[citation needed] corresponds to Mes-1, the earliest-diverging phylogenetic lineage in section Esculenta.[2]
Other than its unique –for the genus– ecological adaptation, this species boasts some remarkable features, such as the densely "blistered" or "merulioid" ridges of its cap, a chambered stem, and strongly striate spores.[3]