A research team led by University of Florida scientists has discovered two new species of ‘true’ truffles growing in the roots of pecan trees in the United States.
Tuber brennemanii from an oak forest in the Midwest. The specimen on the left shows the rough, knobby exterior of the mushroom while the halved specimen shows the interior. Image credit: Rosanne Healy.
Valued for their pleasant aroma and taste, pecan truffles sell for $160-300 per pound.
Pecan orchards with a high density of truffles might increase farmers’ per acre profit by up to 20%.
The newly-discovered pecan truffle species — named Tuber brennemanii and Tuber floridaum — are common in the Gulf Coast region, particularly in pecan orchards in Georgia and Florida.
Tuber brennamanni is also common in upper Midwest states like Minnesota and Iowa. Tuber floridaum was also collected from a pecan orchard in Brazil and was likely introduced there on the roots of pecan seedlings.
“While these two species are edible ‘true’ truffles, in the same genus as the fragrant underground mushrooms prized by chefs, their unappealing odor and small size — about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide — will likely discourage people from eating them,” said team member Dr. Matthew Smith, a researcher in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida and an affiliate associate curator in the Florida Museum of Natural History Herbarium.
“At least one of the species was pretty stinky and not in a good way, so you wouldn’t necessarily want to eat it.”
“These guys are small, and they don’t have these really great odors, but the animals love them.”
Tuber floridaum. Image credit: Marcelo Sulzbacher.
Tuber brennemanii and Tuber floridaum had likely gone undetected because animals — such as squirrels, wild pigs and other small mammals — were eating them or because they occur earlier in the year than pecan truffles.
“We are researching another, more common pecan truffle, Tuber lyonii, potentially an important economic crop in Florida,” said Arthur Grupe, a doctoral student in the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Florida.
“Even though the two new truffle species might lack the appetizing qualities of more commonly known truffle species, our discovery is important and points to the significance of conservation, especially in forest habitats,” Dr. Smith said.
The team plans to study the new species to learn more about their relationship to pecan truffles and how they compete with other truffle species for resources.
The description of Tuber brennemanii and Tuber floridaum appears in the journal Mycologia.
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Arthur C. Grupe II et al. Tuber brennemanii and Tuber floridanum: Two new Tuber species are among the most commonly detected ectomycorrhizal taxa within commercial pecan (Carya illinoinensis) orchards. Mycologia, published online August 21, 2018; doi: 10.1080/00275514.2018.1490121
