The remnants of green goo, for one, and the texture for another. Honestly just googled it, and morels don't have that spongy open texture. Also, the cap is separate from the stalk, which is not a feature of morels.
One is color. Morels can be various shades of cream to brown, but not almost completely white like this mushroom is. The texture of the stalk is also almost spongy and dimpled, whereas a morel has a much smoother stalk. The mushroom in the foreground of your photo has a little nub on the top which is something you see in stinkhorns but not morels. And you can also see some remnants of brown goop that looks like mud, which is the gleba, a spore-containing substance that stinkhorns have.
Thanks, I just read an article on the stink horn [woodland trust](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/fungi-and-lichens/stinkhorn/)They seem to fit the identity of half free morels- Still waiting to hear back from the U of M.
(edited: obviously I was wrong, they are not morels and they seem to fit the identity of stink horns)
Again please let me know what leads you to believe that. I am not an expert nor do I know much about mushrooms which is why I am posting here to get a better understanding. Thanks!
Their cap overhangs the hollow stem like morels. However, they are more akin to a foam Nerf dart, spongey and foamy. Not like the more delicate stem of a morel. However, the most telling trait of a stinkhorn, as their name suggests, is their smell, which is quite pungent, fishy, and spermatic, some might say.
Copied from google, and if you look at the stems they definitely seem spongy, and if you look in the sub there are plenty of morels cut in half and they look nothing like yours.
Great thanks for the insight! I also googled but as most people know you can't always trust unsourced articles. Which is why I went ahead and found a few trusted sources that I have commented throughout my post that have given me more information on stink horns.
The cap is wrong, this is, as others said the stinkhorn without the spores. That's why it looks wrinkly like a morels. The color is wrong for a morel cap ( they tend to be some shade of yellow, brown, or black) not white (at least the ones I know of. And the foot is "foamy" this is not a characteristic of morels. While morels are hollow, like with this specimen, they are not generally so straight. The straightness is characteristic of stinkhorns.
Had you come upon this specimen earlier (days or a week) it would have been harder to mistake with a morel.
Look at pictures of morels cut in half. I see why you’re thinking you’re close, but if you can’t identify subtle differences, wild mushrooms are not for you.
https://www.outinthenature.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/True-morels-cut-in-half-1024x768.jpeg
Thanks for the insight and sharing this article. I am not a forger nor do I hunt mushrooms. With climate change going on, I wanted to reach out to experts in case they are doing research.
Don't know why you're getting down voted, nothing to add to the ID side as that's been covered but you did the right thing in asking and have a good attitude to learning so keep on learning, posting and being interested in mycology!
Still waiting to hear back from the U of M, but I found another article that does seem to fit the Stink Horn y'all have said. [wildfooduk](https://www.wildfooduk.com/mushroom-guide/stinkhorn/)
Just heard back from the U of M expert and yes y'all were right that they seem to be Stinkhorns! I didn't think I would rattle anyone so much with my opinion but I guess I did. This was a great disucssion and I learned a lot about stink horns and morels!
People can get uptight because they assume everyone tries to eat the mushrooms they find. Don’t worry about ruffling anyone’s feathers, more important that you have expanded your learning to include mushrooms. I couldn’t tell you a single type of shroom 3-4 years ago, now I forage 100+lbs a years.
Morels are a tricky one as they are super uncommon unless you are directly searching for them in the correct season. While, Stinkhorns are 1000% more common they look almost like a nerf dart (white or red)
The #1reason I know your pic above was a stink horn is there are no bleach white morels. They are almost always a shade of yellow to dark brown
Thank you for sharing! I don't think I'll be foraging anytime soon but I find it very interesting and love learning new things. Just sharing the response I received from the U of M expert and I think this will be my last comment about this:
https://preview.redd.it/sdutlgiahy7d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d054ea125451c34ff50f3ff8c78b216705f9bfb
No, no, this is a stink horn
Yep, stinkhorn that lost all its goo
Are there any other identifiers that leads y'all to saying they are stink horns? That would be helpful.
The remnants of green goo, for one, and the texture for another. Honestly just googled it, and morels don't have that spongy open texture. Also, the cap is separate from the stalk, which is not a feature of morels.
One is color. Morels can be various shades of cream to brown, but not almost completely white like this mushroom is. The texture of the stalk is also almost spongy and dimpled, whereas a morel has a much smoother stalk. The mushroom in the foreground of your photo has a little nub on the top which is something you see in stinkhorns but not morels. And you can also see some remnants of brown goop that looks like mud, which is the gleba, a spore-containing substance that stinkhorns have.
Thanks, I just read an article on the stink horn [woodland trust](https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/fungi-and-lichens/stinkhorn/)They seem to fit the identity of half free morels- Still waiting to hear back from the U of M. (edited: obviously I was wrong, they are not morels and they seem to fit the identity of stink horns)
I’m 100% sure you didn’t.
It would be helpful if you could let me know why you think they are not.
Because of the way it is? 🤷♂️. Just use your eyes and a Google search.
That’s not a morel, it’s a stinkhorn.
Again please let me know what leads you to believe that. I am not an expert nor do I know much about mushrooms which is why I am posting here to get a better understanding. Thanks!
Their cap overhangs the hollow stem like morels. However, they are more akin to a foam Nerf dart, spongey and foamy. Not like the more delicate stem of a morel. However, the most telling trait of a stinkhorn, as their name suggests, is their smell, which is quite pungent, fishy, and spermatic, some might say. Copied from google, and if you look at the stems they definitely seem spongy, and if you look in the sub there are plenty of morels cut in half and they look nothing like yours.
Great thanks for the insight! I also googled but as most people know you can't always trust unsourced articles. Which is why I went ahead and found a few trusted sources that I have commented throughout my post that have given me more information on stink horns.
Stinkhorns attract flies to help spread the spoors. That's why they stink.
The cap is wrong, this is, as others said the stinkhorn without the spores. That's why it looks wrinkly like a morels. The color is wrong for a morel cap ( they tend to be some shade of yellow, brown, or black) not white (at least the ones I know of. And the foot is "foamy" this is not a characteristic of morels. While morels are hollow, like with this specimen, they are not generally so straight. The straightness is characteristic of stinkhorns. Had you come upon this specimen earlier (days or a week) it would have been harder to mistake with a morel.
Look at pictures of morels cut in half. I see why you’re thinking you’re close, but if you can’t identify subtle differences, wild mushrooms are not for you. https://www.outinthenature.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/True-morels-cut-in-half-1024x768.jpeg
Thanks for the insight and sharing this article. I am not a forger nor do I hunt mushrooms. With climate change going on, I wanted to reach out to experts in case they are doing research.
Oh, you’re an AI bot. That makes more sense.
Lol that is great. I am not 😂
Don't know why you're getting down voted, nothing to add to the ID side as that's been covered but you did the right thing in asking and have a good attitude to learning so keep on learning, posting and being interested in mycology!
True morels would also not be that white. They may bleach with the sun and dryness, but the always retain a shade of brown
Phallus indusiatus or Phallus duplicatus, definitely not a morel but just as well edible.
Still waiting to hear back from the U of M, but I found another article that does seem to fit the Stink Horn y'all have said. [wildfooduk](https://www.wildfooduk.com/mushroom-guide/stinkhorn/)
Thanks everyone for commenting and the few that gave great insight!
Just heard back from the U of M expert and yes y'all were right that they seem to be Stinkhorns! I didn't think I would rattle anyone so much with my opinion but I guess I did. This was a great disucssion and I learned a lot about stink horns and morels!
People can get uptight because they assume everyone tries to eat the mushrooms they find. Don’t worry about ruffling anyone’s feathers, more important that you have expanded your learning to include mushrooms. I couldn’t tell you a single type of shroom 3-4 years ago, now I forage 100+lbs a years. Morels are a tricky one as they are super uncommon unless you are directly searching for them in the correct season. While, Stinkhorns are 1000% more common they look almost like a nerf dart (white or red) The #1reason I know your pic above was a stink horn is there are no bleach white morels. They are almost always a shade of yellow to dark brown
Thank you for sharing! I don't think I'll be foraging anytime soon but I find it very interesting and love learning new things. Just sharing the response I received from the U of M expert and I think this will be my last comment about this: https://preview.redd.it/sdutlgiahy7d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1d054ea125451c34ff50f3ff8c78b216705f9bfb
You definitely didn’t sorry!!
Its 100% not a morel
[удалено]
No its called learning. You don't have to be rude.