Truffle Genus: Terfezia
 Terfezia boudieri ascospore  Terfezia boudieri ascospore |
Kingdom: Fungi
Phylum: Ascomycota Order: Pezizales Family: Pezizaceae |
Spore Characters
Surface: Warts, an irregular, amorphous
reticulum, or
spines 2-7 µm tall.
Shape and Size: Globose, 12-27 µm in diameter,
excluding
ornamentation.
Wall: 0.5-1 µm thick.
Color in Water: Hyaline to pale brown.
Melzer's Reaction: Not distinctive or orangeish
brown.
Comments: Other species may key out with any of
several
other genera, but Terfezia
occurs only in southern Europe, North Africa, the
Mid-East and West
Asia in semi-arid to arid habitats. Species described
from elsewhere
have been re-assigned to other genera.
View photos of Terfezia spores
Sporocarp Characters
Shape and Size: Subglobose to turbinate, 2-8.5
cm in
diameter.
Peridium: Brownish yellow to brownish black,
glabrous to
felty.
Gleba: Solid, pale brown pockets of fertile
tissue
separated by white to yellow sterile veins.
Odor: Generally faint and not distinctive.
View photos of Terfezia sporocarps