Morchella_steppicola
Morchella steppicola
Species of fungus
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]