Name: Tuber Macrosporum coming from “macros” and “sporum” (latin) with large spores. (Vittadini, 1831).

Common name: tartufo nero lisco, smooth black truffle.

Gathering period: from 1st of September till 31st of December.

CARPOPHORE – usually is not reaching a considerable size, at maximum like a chicken’s egg; globular or tuberculated. It is easy to find various specimens grouped together in the same hollow.

PERIDIUM – warty, brown-reddish, sometimes with russet spots; warts are lightly visible, polygonal shape, appressed and dissimilar. By and large they give to the truffle an appearance delicately wrinkled, similar to a dog’s nose.

INTERIOR – whitish brown in unripe carpophores, afterwards brown-rusty with many white veins which are thin in some points but in some are broad and being in contact with air turn brown-pale.

FRAGRANCE – strong, lightly has the fragrance of garlic, vaguely reminds the fragrance of precious white truffle.

TASTE – very pleasant.

ASCHI – sub-globular, sub-peduncular, big – 90-140 x 70-100 microns (Ceruti, 1960), contain at maximum three spores.

SPORES – being 40-80 x 30-55 microns big they make the quality of this specimen (Ceruti, 1960); have definitely the form of an ellipse, red-brown, in detail and irregularly reticulate.

HABITAT – it is not a very abundant truffle. Thereby it doesn`t grow in specific habitat. It can be found in the same places as T. magnatum. However compared to T. magnatum it can stand more drought and grow together with many symbiotic plants, the oak, linden, poplar, willow, hornbeam and hazel.