A Report on Occurrence of Morchella sp. from District Faizabad, Uttar

Pradesh

SIDDHANT1, RUCHIRA SINGH2, C.S. SINGH3 AND R.S. KANAUJIA4

1Scientist R&D, Indo-Canadian Farms, Pune (Maharashtra), India2Independent Scientist at Bhoomi Spring Town, Pune (Maharashtra), India3Department of Botany, K.S.S. P.G. College, Ayodhya, Faizabad (U.P.), India4Director, Indo-Canadian Farms, Pune (Maharashtra), India

ABSTRACT

The genus Morchella is one of the oldest genera of

Pezizales. In India, it occurs primarily in N-W Himalayas,

though they are reported from sub-hilly and plains as well.

The present article reports probably the first occurrence

of genus Morchella in the district Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Key words Morchella, Morels, Guchchhi, Ascocarp,

Faizabad, Uttar Pradesh

Morchella, the true morels belonging to family

Mochellaceae of order Pezizales is commonly known

as ‘Guchhi’ in India. The ethanobotanical data gathered

on these wild mushrooms reveal that these can be

consumed directly to promote health on account of their

nutritional and medicinal properties. Morchella grows

at higher altitudes usually on hilly land farms with cool

microclimate. They usually grow outdoors, in pure and

mixed coniferous forests, broad leaved forests and open

ground under direct or indirect shade, in abandoned

orchards, gardens, landscaped areas, under hedges, on

roadcuts and driveways, near melting snow, in gravel,

around wood piles or tree trunks, and in sandy, loamy

and organic matter rich soil.

The genus Morchella was reviewed in India by

Waraitchi in the year of 1976. According to him, six

species namely Morchella esculenta, M. conica, M.

deliciosa, M. angusticeps, M. crassipes and M.

semilibera have been reported from India which are

being reported from north-west Himalayan regions,

especially Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Occasional reports on collection of Morchella vulgaris

Boud. from Assam forest, M. deliciosa from Amritsar

(Punjab), M. conica from central India and probably

M. esculenta from Rajasthan have been given by

Bhattacharya and Baruah, 1953, Purkayastha and

Chandra, 1985, Ghurde and Wakode, 1981 and Paliwal,

et. al., 2013, respectively.

In present communication, Morchella sp has been

reported from district Faizabad which lies between the

parallels of 26047’N to 26078’N lataitude and 82.080E

to 82.13’E longitude having an average elevation of 97

meters above the sea level.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The specimen of Morchella was collected during

field trip in the month of December, 2013 near railway

station area, Ayodhya (Faizabad). The morphological

and ecological characters were recorded. The specimen

was photographed in natural habitat. Later, this was

identified with the help of macro and microscopic

features.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The mushroom had a characteristic appearance.

It looks like a pine cone perched on a stem.

Apothecia: Stipitate, interior hollow, 11.0 cm in

length, differentiated in to stipe and pileus. The pileus

rises continuously from stipe. Pileus 7 cm long and 5.5

cm broad, longer than stipe. Honeycombed with pits

and ridges. Interior hollow. Colour cream to yellowish,

The pits were same in colour as the ridges. Stripe 4.0

cm in length, 2.0 cm broad, relatively short and

narrower than cap, the base somewhat wrinkled,

typically hollow in cross section, Colour white to

creamy. Asci with 8 spores. Spores elliptical, smooth.

Odor pleasant. Spore print cream.

Habit and Habitat: The fruiting bodies were found

solitary on humus rich soil near Cycas, Fern and other

ornamental plants which show the possibility of

mycorrhizal association.

Distinctive honeycomb-like upper portion which

is composed of a network of ridges and pits defines

this mushroom as a Morchella sp. Earlier, no Morchella

spp. has been recorded as yet in the climatological

situation prevailing at Faizabad and its adjacent area.

This is the first report in respect of incidence of

Morchella sp from Faizabad (U.P.).

Trends in Biosciences 7(17): 2473-2474, 2014

2474 Trends in Biosciences 7 (17), 2014

ACKNOWLEGEMENT

We are thankful to Mr. Vinay Kumar Tiwari, M.D.

Indo-Canadian Farms and Resorts Pvt. Ltd., Pune for

sponsoring this trip.

LITERATURE CITED

Bhattacharya, B. and Baruah, H.K. 1953. Fungi of Assam. Journal

University of Gauhati. 4:287-312.

Ghrude, V.R. and Wakode, D.D. 1981. A new report of Morchella

Fig.2 An ascocarp of MorchellaFig.1 Morchella grown on soil

from Central India. Indian Journal of Mycology and Plant

Pathology. 11:314-315.

Paliwal A., Boha, A. Pillai, U. and Purohit, D.K. 2013. First

Report of Morchella- An edible Morel from Mount Abu,

Rajasthan. Middle-East Journal of Scientific Research. 18(3):

327-329.

Purkayastha, R.P. and Chandra, A. 1985. Manual of Indian Edible

Mushrooms. Today and Tomorrow’s Printers and Publishers,

New Delhi, pp. 226.

Waraitchi, K.S. (1976): The Genus Morchella in India. Kavaka

4:69-76.

Received on 02-07-2014 Accepted on 15-07-2014