method. These spots may be jealously guarded by mushroom pickers, as the mushrooms represent a cash crop. They may grow near certain types of trees (specifically the ash tree) in symbiotic relationship with them, although this is not proven. (There is some evidence that disturbance-following morels may be different species than those growing in relatively undisturbed sites, but genetic confirmation has not yet been accomplished.) Commercial pickers and buyers in North America will follow forest fires to gather morels. Morels have not yet been successfully farmed on a large scale, and the commercial morel industry is based on harvest of wild mushrooms. Muscoda, Wisconsin is the self-styled Morel Mushroom Capital of Wisconsin.
Different types of mushrooms
The best known morel is the Morchella deliciosa, which is commonly known as simply "morel." Other common names for morels include Merkel, and Sponge Mushroom. When gathering morels, care must be taken to distinguish them from the poisonous false morel (Gyromitra esculenta and others). However, morels are fairly distinctive in appearance. Other types include Morchella esculenta, M. elata, M. semilibera, and M. vulgaris. Mushroom hunters will commonly refer to them by their color, i.e., gray, yellow, black, etc., as the species are very similar in appearance and vary considerably within species and age of individual mushroom.
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