  
Left: Common
Morel Center:
Half-Free Morel
Right: Black Morel
The Morel 'shroom is the most common sought after during
the hunting season. The hunt is spring to early summer. They
are found in many areas including: moist woodlands and river
bottoms. There are poisonous morels that you don't want to confuse
with one of the varieties listed here. For more information on
Missouri Mushroom hunting, check out the Missouri
MDC website.
Mushrooms
What is a mushroom? Mushrooms are actually the
fruits of fungus. The fungus itself is simply a net of threadlike fibers,
called a mycelium, growing in soil, wood or decaying matter.
Mushrooms on a mycelium are like apples on an apple tree.
The function of a mushroom is to produce spores, which are
the "seeds" of the fungus. Some kinds of mushrooms produce their
spores on gills (the gilled fungi);some in pores (the pore fungi); some on
teeth (the tooth fungi); some inside a leathery pouch (the puffballs);
some on the inside of shallow cups ( the cup fungi, including the morels);
and some simply on the surface of the mushroom (coral fungi and others).
The spores form on these various structures, then fall off to blow away on
the wind or be carried by animals, water or insects. If a spore lands in a
suitable spot, it germinates and grows into a new mycelium.
The mushrooms most people recognize are the gilled fungi.
These typical parasol-shaped mushrooms have caps with bladelike gills on
the underside and stems with or without rings. The pore fungi are similar
in appearance but have a spongy layer of tubes of pores on the underside
of the cap instead of gills.
Collecting mushrooms
Mushroom collecting requires only the simplest of
equipment: a flat-bottomed basket or box, a roll of waxed paper, a digging
tool and a pencil and paper for notes.
Be sure to collect the entire mushroom, including the
base. Take only fresh, young specimens that are free of insect damage.
Each type of mushroom should be wrapped separately in waxed paper (not
plastic wrap, which hastens decay), along with any notes you might want to
make about the habitat and appearance of the mushroom. It's a good idea to
note where the mushroom is growing (on wood, soil, moss); whether it is
single or in clusters' the colors of the caps, gills and stem; and any
other distinctive features. The more you can observe about the mushroom in
the field, the easier it will be to identify at home. |
