Kalaharituber

The Kalahari truffle ( Kalaharituber pfeilii, syn. Terfezia pfeilii ) is an underground ( hypogeous ) fruiting fungus from the family of peel fungus relatives ( Pezizaceae ).

Features

Macroscopic characteristics

The growing underground wrinkled fruit bodies are nearly spherical and 6 to 6.5 inches tall. They are finely hairy and surrounded by an approximately 1 millimeter thick peridium. Their color is dark brown, yellowish at the wrinkles. Inside, the flesh white with brownish veins. It smells strong " fungal ".

Microscopic characteristics

The nearly spherical to ellipsoidal shaped, rarely ovoid asci are 70 to 100 to 50 to 80 microns and carry 5-8 spherical spores. These measure 16 to 22, sometimes up to 26 microns. They are initially hyaline and later (light) colored brown. The spores have a two-layer 1.5 micron thick cell wall that reacts pale yellow to light orange with Melzer's reagent with potassium hydroxide appear feinwarzig.

Distribution and ecology

The Kalahari truffle is a very rare fungus. It is native to southern Africa. Best known is its occurrence in the Kalahari Desert.

The species lives a few centimeters below the surface in mycorrhizal symbiosis with certain plants. Original symbionts are certain Acacia species. Today it is often associated with certain melons ( watermelon, various wild species, ...) and feather grass species ( Stipagrostis spp.). She lives in very sandy, slightly acidic soil and has a low water requirement. The fruiting is dependent on the spreading rate of rainfall and typically occurs after the rainy season.

Use

Kalahari truffles are edible and are used as an edible mushroom. They are a specialty in the Namibian cuisine. They are offered here in years with more rain rainy period from late March to about the beginning of June. They are typically sought by people using typical soil cracks or swelling or even known symbiotic plants. Traditionally, they are collected in the Kalahari of members of the ethnic group of the San.

Apparently, the masses from Morocco exported to Europe fruiting bodies of spores arms truffle (Tuber oligospermum ), a culinary truffle inferior kind, awarded partly as " Kalahari truffle ".

Systematics and Taxonomy

The official first description dates back to the 1895 article published by Paul Christoph Hennings on " Fungi camerunenses I" (fungi Cameroon 1), in which he described the way the Count Joachim von Pfeil honor as " Terfezia pfeilii ". The Count had brought him a pickled sample from northwestern Namibia. 2005 published molecular genetic studies by scientists at Ben- Gurion University of the Negev (Israel ) suggested the assignment to a new genus.

People's names are "N / abba " / " N'abbas " ( Khoisan ), " Mana " ( Khoekhoegowab ) or " Omatumbula " ( Oshivambo ) and relate to, among other things, the hypogeous lifestyle or the superficial color of the tubers.

Swell

• Peel fungus -like
• Speisepilzart