Truffle Genus: Gastroleccinum

Gastroleccinum sp. basidiospore

Kingdom: Fungi Phylum: Basidiomycota Order: Boletales Family: Boletaceae

Spore Characters

Not distinguishable from Rhizopogon spores except that Gastroleccinum possesses a sterigmal attachment angled to the spore axis. In that case, Gastroleccinum spores resemble those of the closely related mushroom genera in the family Boletaceae (Boletus, Leccinum, Suillus, Gastroboletus, etc.)

View photos of Gastroleccinum spores

Sporocarp Characters

Shape and Size: appearing as a misshapen bolete 2.5-6.5 cm broad, with a convex cap and a distinct stem up to 7-10 cm long and 9-14 mm thick at the apex, stem with scabrose orange-brown dots that are larger and finer and more numerous near stem base.
Peridium: Dingy yellow-brown, with ochraceous tones, dry, smooth to subtomentose.
Gleba: A layer of tubes 1.5-2 cm long oriented parallel to the ground tube, mouths small and soon flattened at maturity; pale yellow at first developing olive-yellow at maturity, becoming brown to black stains when bruised.
Odor: Mild not distinctive.

Name Derivation

Named by Harry Thiers (1919-2000) (1989), distinguished mycologist of western U.S., from Greek, gaster- (literally "stomach" but in mycology referring generally to Gasteromycetes, i.e. puffballs) and -leccinum (referring to the genus Leccinum), hence, "a puffball-like Leccinum."

Distribution

The single species Gastroleccinum scabrosum (Mazzer & Smith) Thiers is known only from Michigan.
Season: Early autumn.
Species known from North Temperate Forests: One, G. scabrosum.

Keys and Descriptions

Mazzer and Smith (1967). Some mycologists combine the genus Gastroleccinum into the mushroom genus Leccinum.