Truffle Genus: Protoglossum

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

Spore Characters

urface: Irregularly ridged, warty, or warty-reticulate.
Shape and Size: Ellipsoid, ovoid, globose, or subglobose. 8-12 (-14) x 7-10 µm.
Wall: Single, 0.5-2 µm thick.
Color in Water: Red-brown to orange-brown.
Melzer's Reaction: Not distinctive.

View photos of Protoglossum spores

Sporocarp Characters

Shape and Size: Ellipsoid to cylindrical, 2-5 cm.
Peridium: Thick, orange to yellow, brown or violet, dry and felty to gelatinous viscid.
Gleba: Composed of multiple empty irregular chambers, cinnamon to brown. A reduced columella sometimes present.
Odor: Not recorded.
Comments: This genus is an interim conglomeration of hypogeous fungi related to teh huge mushroom genus Cortinarius. Because the taxonomy and phylogeny of both genera are not yet well worked out, Protoglossum will likely be considerably revised in the future.

View photos of Protoglossum sporocarps

Name Derivation

Named by eminent British mycologist George Edward Massee (1850-1917) (1890) from Greek, Protos- first or original, and -glossum (tongue), perhaps referring to the wet, slippery surface of the type species.

Distribution

North America, Europe, and Australia.
Species known from North Temperate Forests: At least two. Most species occur in the southern hemisphere.

Keys and Descriptions

Massee (1890). Beaton et al. (1985) as Hymenogaster. Montecchi and Sarasini (2000) cover European species.