Pileus drooping, irregularly waved and lobed.

_Morchella. Dill._

Morchella is from a Greek word meaning a mushroom. This genus is easily
recognized. It may be known by the deeply pitted, and often elongated,
naked head, the depressions being usually regular but sometimes
resembling mere furrows with wrinkled interspaces. The cap or head
varies in form from rounded to ovate or cone shape. They are all marked
by deep pits, covering the entire surface, separated by ridges forming a
net-work. The spore-sacs are developed in both ridges and depressions.
All the species when young are of a buff-yellow tinged with brown. The
stems are stout and hollow, white, or whitish in color.

The common name is Morel, and they appear during wet weather early in
the spring.

_Morchella esculenta. Pers._

THE COMMON MOREL. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 409.--Morchella esculenta. Two-thirds natural
size.]

The Common Morel has a cap a little longer than broad, so that it is
almost oval in outline. Sometimes it is nearly round but again it is
often slightly narrowed in its upper half, though not pointed or
cone-like. The pits in its surface are more nearly round than in the
other species. In this species the pits are irregularly arranged so that
they do not form rows, as will be observed in Figure 409.

It grows from two to four inches high and is known by most people as the
Sponge mushroom. It grows in woods and wood borders, especially beside
wood streams. Old apple and peach orchards are favorite places for
Morels. It makes no difference if the beginner cannot identify the
species, as they are all equally good. I have seen collectors have for
sale a bushel basketful, in which half a dozen species were represented.
They dry very easily and can be kept for winter use. It is said to grow
in great profusion over burnt districts. The German peasants were
reputed to have burned forest tracts to insure an abundant crop. I find
that more people know the Morels than any other mushroom. They are found
through April and May, after warm rains.

_Morchella deliciosa. Fr._

THE DELICIOUS MOREL. EDIBLE.

[Illustration: Figure 410.--Morchella deliciosa. Two-thirds natural
size.]

This and the preceding species would indicate by their names that they
have been held in high esteem for a long time, as Profs. Persoon and
Fries, who named them, lived more than a hundred years ago. The
Delicious Morel is recognized by the shape of its ca