heatherdawson's Favorites

On Geopora:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/208652805

Spores dark brown (speckled in transmitted light), smooth, broadly fusiform to citriform; walls 1.5 µm thick;
(23.5) 24.1 - 27.4 (28.8) × (13.1) 13.5 - 16.3 (17.4) µm
Q = (1.5) 1.6 - 1.9 (2) ; N = 31
Me = 25.9 × 14.8 µm ; Qe = 1.8.

The false truffle was 1.3 cm wide. Its surface is made of orange pyramids. Marble inside with some cottony areas. Spores are ornamented/nodulose, reaching 20.9 um the biggest. Asci" 209 x 32 um. Single. Above the ground as seen in photo in situ. At the edge of a creek; deciduous woods. 04-29-2023: I was getting a sample to extract its DNA and it was too hard to get it. I wet it and OMG! the smell was the most wonderful and delicious thing that made me want to eat it. We have a fruit in Colombia name chontaduro (Bactris gasipaes). It grows on a palm tree. The smell is close to it(after being cooked).

Found partially unearthed inside animal rutting holes. Sliced to marbled inside with strong pungent truffle odor. Suspected Tuber lyonii but upon consultation with Matthew smith suggestion of undescribed species was made.

This is another collection of the (unpublished?) summer Leucangium that my fellow trufflers and I started calling "Bird's Eggs". Great culinary value... the aroma is similar to L. carthusianum but has a cuanide component like almonds.

We also called it the "Amaretto Truffle".

I had a provisional name in my head either from Dan Luoma or Matt Trappe, but I've forgotten it in my old age.

It's in the same habitats as Tuber oregonense and L. carthusianum, but it doesn't start ripening until June, and it continues ripening throughout the summer months under the cool canopy of coastal Doug-fir tree farms.

I have found this species in Washington state as well as Oregon.

Lumpy, distinctly purple, small visible rhizomes, almost crunchy crispy texture when split open?? Very young calvatia fragilis w/ color showing more clearly due to rain saturation, maybe? Will keep an eye on the ones still in the ground and see what they do