This document reports the first occurrence of Morchella mushrooms in the Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It describes the collection and identification of a Morchella specimen found growing in humus-rich soil near plants like cycads and ferns. The mushroom had characteristic features of Morchella, including a hollow interior composed of ridges and pits. This represents the first record of a Morchella species in the climatic conditions of Faizabad.

1. A Report on Occurrence of Morchella sp. from District Faizabad, Uttar
Pradesh
SIDDHANT1
, RUCHIRA SINGH2
, C.S. SINGH3
AND R.S. KANAUJIA4
1
Scientist R&D, Indo-Canadian Farms, Pune (Maharashtra), India
2
Independent Scientist at Bhoomi Spring Town, Pune (Maharashtra), India
3
Department of Botany, K.S.S. P.G. College, Ayodhya, Faizabad (U.P.), India
4
Director, Indo-Canadian Farms, Pune (Maharashtra), India
ABSTRACT
The genus Morchella is one of the oldest genera of
Pezizales.InIndia, itoccursprimarilyin N-WHimalayas,
thoughtheyare reportedfromsub-hillyandplainsaswell.
The present article reportsprobably the first occurrence
ofgenusMorchellainthedistrictFaizabad, UttarPradesh.
Keywords 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 260
47’N to 260
78’N lataitude and 82.080
E
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

2. 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. andBaruah, H.K. 1953. FungiofAssam. Journal
University of Gauhati. 4:287-312.
Ghrude, V.R. and Wakode, D.D. 1981. Anew 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