Morel Mushroom Life Cycle

Time Frame

• The elusive morel mushroom appears during spring, from mid-March to mid-April. In a three- to four-week span, fruits of the morel fungi produce from underground root systems in mushroom form.

Significance

• Each morel mushroom produces spores inside its spongy head. These spores drop to the soil and develop into a root-like system of interwoven tendrils called mycelia. The mycelia lives underground throughout the year, developing into a thicker system of tendrils, known as sclerotium, that allow the fungus to withstand harsh winter weather.

Features

• Unique to the morel mushroom, sclerotium wait in the ground for spring and the most suitable weather conditions to arrive. When the right conditions occur, sclerotium develop into fruit that morel hunters harvest; when conditions are unsuitable, the morel sclerotium forms into a new mycelium and waits another year for a chance to produce fruit.