Truffle Genus: Podaxis

Podaxis pistillaris basidiospore

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

Spore Characters

Surface: Smooth.
Shape and Size: Pyriform, irregular, or subglobose. Germ pore present, scar at point of attachment. 10-13 x 10-15 µm.
Wall: Thin, single.
Color in Water: Yellow-brown to red-brown.
Melzer's Reaction: Not distinctive.

View photos of Podaxis spores

Sporocarp Characters

Shape and Size: Stipitate, conical, up to 26 cm tall. Stem and columella present, 1-1.5 cm wide.
Peridium: White, flaky, scaly. Smooth and yellow-brown or red-brown when mature.
Gleba: Composed of rope-like strands that branch repeatedly, creating a multitude of labyrinthine spaces (Morse, 1933). Yellow-brown to red-brown.
Odor: Not recorded.

View photos of Podaxis sporocarps

Name Derivation

Named by French botanist Nicaise Augustin Desvaux (1784-1856) (1809) from Greek, pod- (foot) and -axis (axis); Desvaux' intent in coining this name is unclear.

Distribution

On every continent, most common in Africa. The sporocarps externally resemble the shaggy mane mushroom, Coprinus comatus.
Season: April through October, dependent on moisture.
Species known from North Temperate Forests: Four.

Keys and Descriptions

Desvaux (1809); Morse (1933).