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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Mycotoxin Prevention and Applied Microbiology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324672
Title: Update: Our morels are named!

Author
item VOITK, ANDRUS - Foray Newfoundland & Labrador
item O Donnell, Kerry
item BEUG, MICHAEL - Evergreen State College
item BURZYNSKI, MICHAEL - Foray Newfoundland & Labrador
item MANN, HENRY - Collaborator

Submitted to: Omphalina
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/12/2016
Publication Date: 2/24/2016
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/62951
Citation: Voitk, A., O'Donnell, K., Beug, M., Burzynski, M., Mann, H. 2016. Update: Our morels are named!. Omphalina. 7(2):3-10.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Preliminary investigations revealed that at least three morel species grow in Newfoundland and Labrador: Morchella importuna and two undescribed species, Mel-19 and Mel-36.1 M. importuna, the mulch morel, is known from Europe, Asia and North America.2,3 Mel-19 is cosmopolitan, known from Asia, Europe and east and west coasts of North America,4 and Mel-36 is parochial known only from the St Lawrence River Basin.5 Our readership was polled for suitable names to describe these novel species. Of the several choices offered, eohespera won out for Mel-19, and laurentiana for Mel-36, both with a wide margin over other candidates (see graph in title banner).6 Both names reflect the distribution of the species: “eohespera” is derived from the names of Eos and Hesperus, the Greek gods of sunrise and sunset, to symbolize its presence in the East and West, and “laurentiana” means Laurentian to indicate that its distribution is limited to the St Lawrence River Basin. Formal description of these two species has now been effectively published, and we are glad to report that the names favoured by our readers were used.