Winter Truffle
Tuber brumale
Winter Truffle
This species is established in New Zealand.
Description
T. brumale is an edible truffle which is associated with oak and hazel trees.
T. brumale can be identified by a skilled mycologist either on root samples or by DNA testing.
T. brumale has white veins in the gleba (internal truffle tissue) which are wider and more spaced than in T. melanosporum (Pèrigord Black truffle), and Pèrigord Black also has reddish nuances on its peridium (skin).
Impact
T. brumale is an edible truffle that is widely distributed in Europe and is not considered a threat to human health or New Zealand's native fauna and flora. It can compete with the Pèrigord black truffle for space on the roots of host plants.
Spread
The distribution of T. brumale in New Zealand is not known. Given the fact that T. brumale has been detected at truffières established in the 1990s and later it is possible that it is present at other sites, albeit at low levels.
Management
Given the technical unfeasibility of eradicating T. brumale over large areas, MAF BNZ will not be attempting eradication of this truffle or imposing movement controls on truffle growers. This decision is supported by the New Zealand Truffle Association (NZTA).
Information for truffle growers:
If you don't have T. brumale: you should source seedlings that have been tested and certified as being free from T. brumale.
If you do have T. brumale: many truffle growers are familiar with mycorrhizal specied such as Scleroderma sp. and Tuber maculatum which compete with more valuable truffle species. The skills needed to manage T. brumale are similar and T. brumale has the advantage of being a marketable edible species.
Factsheet
- Tuber brumale factsheet
(108 KB)
Page last updated: 20 June 2008