This lifeform is widespread in North America. Parts of this lifeform are edible. This lifeform is widespread, but not common.

Black Morel (Morchella conica) is found widely in North America in the northern pine and spruce forests.

True morels (Morchellaceae) are probably the best known and most sought after of edible fungi. Easily recognized by their sponge-like or honeycomb-like heads and thick, fragile  stalks, they fruit in the spring. Caution is to be taken to not confuse the true morel with  the false morel which is to be avoided as an edible. Morel-like fungi found in the  summer or fall are probably false. The head of the true morel is composed of ridges and  pits. In addition, the head is generally attached directly to the stalk (except Morchella  semilibera). The false morel lacks distinct ridges and pits and hangs about the stalk. Attempts have been made to grow the true morel domestically but they have been unsuccessful.

Cup Fungi and Allies group (Order Pezizales) includes the morels.

Discomycetes are one of the more important classes of Ascomycotina. Included among the members of this order are the truffles, a much prized fungi used for food. Very difficult to find visually, they are generally hunted by scent with trained pigs or dogs. The morels and earth tongues are also found in this class.

Ascomycotina (Ascomycetes) are one of the four main groups of true fungi. They feature spores formed inside small cells of small oval or elongated shapes called asci. Two main groups make up this class. They are Discomycetes and Pyrenomycetes.

Most fungi are parasites on plants. Identification of many fungi is very difficult because their form and color is dependent on local conditions. One should not eat wild collected mushrooms as many edible species have poisonous look-alikes. Although we believe many of the species we show in this group are correctly identified,  we are also aware of instances where we doubt the identification.   We include these species to show the diversity of life,  as opposed to a method of precise species identification.