Fallujah-Western Iraq first record, Distribution and Ecological Characteristics of Morchella esculenta

Morchella esculenta (Yellow Morel) appears as an edible high nutritional value fungis which is a hyper-mycorrhizal mushroom belonging to the Morchellaceae family and plays a significant role in the ecosystem, and has culinary value. The available data about distribution, habitat preferences and ecological functions of the yellow morel in Iraq is presented in this paper with special consideration of the records reported from many regions in it. It has predominantly been reported from the northern parts of Iraq (mostly from the Kurdistan Region). These environments provide the appropriate host trees, soil nature, and seasonal rainfall that seem to allow its growth and development. It has also recently been found in western Iraq, indicating its range may be much broader than previously recognized. The information presented in this manuscript contains compiled reported data and papers up until October 2023. The number of reported records of this mushroom on Iraq is still few, but all the available studies gave valuable information about its distribution and habitat. Additional field studies and systematic surveys are required to understand its distribution, habitat requirements and ecological significance in Iraq.