Morchella meiliensis
Morchella meiliensis is a species of fungus in the family Morchellaceae native to China. Taxonomy. The species was described as new to science in 2006. The specific epithet "meiliensis" refers to Meili Snow Mountain in Yunnan, where the type specimen was collected. Description. The fruit bodies are with a conical cap measuring tall by wide. The surface has vertically arranged ridges that are dark brown to black in colour, while the rectangular to quadrangular pits between the ridges are merulioid (wrinkled with low, uneven ridges) and yellowish in colour. The flesh is thin, and lacks any distinctive taste  or odour. The cylindrical stipe measures tall by thick. Initially whitish, it turns yellowish with a waxy sheen when dry. In deposit, ascospores are smooth, ellipsoid, hyaline (translucent), and measure 4.7–5.1 by 5.2–5.7 µm. They are thin-walled and contain oil droplets. Asci (spore-bearing cells) are eight-spored, cylindrical, and hyaline, and have dimensions of 5.2–5.9 µm long by 91–94 µm long. The paraphyses are dark, club-shaped, and measure 4.2–5.2 by 40–65 µm. Similar species. "Morchella conica" and "M. angusticeps" are similar in appearance to "M. meiliensis", but the latter species can be distinguished by more lightly coloured  ridges on the cap surface, the merulioid texture of the pits, and microscopically by the club-shaped paraphyses. Habitat and distribution. "Morchella meiliensis" fruits on the ground in deciduous or mixed forests. It is known from Deqin County, Yunnan Province in China, where it grows at elevations of .