American yellow morel

The cone-shaped cap is rounded or pointed, about 3–10 centimetres (1–4 inches) tall with a honeycomb-like network of ridged openings. The whitish stipe is shorter than the cap, sometimes bulbous, wrinkled and/or stained yellow, and hollow. The spore print is off-white.

Similar species. In the Great Lakes region of eastern North America, the range of M. americana overlaps with M. ulmaria; the two species cannot be reliably distinguished without DNA sampling. Other similar species include M. diminutiva, M. prava and others in the genus, in addition to Verpa bohemica and Gyromitra species.

Found throughout North America except the Gulf Coast, the species is common east of the Rocky Mountains in a range stretching from Ontario south to Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. In western North America, the species typically is found under hardwood, especially cottonwood trees in river bottoms, or with apple trees or ashes in forest, riparian or urban settings. M. americana, identified as phylogenetic species "Mes-4", has also been found in Turkey, France, and Germany, but is suspected of having been introduced to Europe from North America.

The specific epithet americana refers to the species' occurrence in North America.