Truffle Genus: Gyrophragmium

Kingdom: Fungi Phylum: Basidiomycota Order: Agaricales Family: Agaricaceae

Spore Characters

Surface: Smooth.
Shape and Size: Ellipsoid, globose, subglobose, or irregular, 6-8.75 x 4-5 µm.
Wall: Single, 0.5-1.0 µm.
Color in Water: Red-brown.
Melzer's Reaction: Not distinctive.
Comments: This genus is distinguished from Neosecotium and Longia by the gleba. In this genus the septa are arranged in a lamelliform manner instead of anastomosing (Massee, 1890).

Sporocarp Characters

Shape and Size: Appearing as an unopened mushroom, volva present. Eventually breaking free of volva and forming an agaric-like pileus. Stem 7-8 cm tall, cap 2-4 cm broad.
Peridium: Thick. At first continuous with volva, then breaking free. Gray to pale yellow, sometimes with volva remnants.
Gleba: Red-black, composed of gills.
Odor: Not recorded.

Name Derivation

Named by Frenchman Jean Pierre Motagne (1784-1866), a former doctor in Napoleans army who became a mycologist of some note later in life, (1843) – From Greek, gyros- rounded, curved and phragma- fence, screen, partition. In this sense, it can be translated as a rounded partition or palisade, perhaps relating to the configuration of the glebal lamellae.

Distribution

Very limited, sandy locations in central California.
Season: January to June.
Species described from North Temperate Forests: One, G. californicum.

Keys and Descriptions

Zeller (1943).