Truffles of North America

The North American Truffling Society (NATS) has created this project as part of our mission to enhance the scientific knowledge of North American truffles and truffle-like fungi, and to promote educational activities related to truffles and truffle-like fungi. NATS is a non-profit organization founded in 1978 and is based in Corvallis, Oregon.

What is a truffle?

This project will include observations of truffles in the broad sense, not just gourmet truffles. We include any macroscopic, underground fruiting bodies of fungi that are gasteroid (fertile tissue is enclosed inside an outer skin “peridium”), as well as fungi forming “secotioid” fruiting bodies—those which are considered an intermediate form, with fertile tissue partially enclosed, and which may fruit aboveground, partially aboveground, or belowground. If you are new to the world of truffles, you can learn more about them in the Truffle FAQs sidebar at www.natruffling.org. There are also many photos of truffles in the Photo Gallery.

Our project goals:

To enhance the knowledge of truffles across North America

To group observations of truffles in one place on iNaturalist (since the “truffle” form has evolved independently multiple times in different groups of fungi, and is not an iNat-searchable taxon)

To encourage users to look for truffles and add their information to this project

To provide an opportunity for observers to submit interesting truffles to an herbarium, with the possibility of sequencing their DNA*

Printable data cards are available at www.natruffling.org. (see bottom link on the sidebar). We need good photos of the outer surface (peridium) of your truffles, as well as of a cut specimen clearly showing the inner surface (gleba), preferably with a scale bar, and ideally microscopic photos of spores or other characteristics. Please make fresh notes on color, color changes when cut or bruised, and odor.

• If you have a specimen that you think should be accessioned, dry the truffles so they don’t rot (see https://fundis.org/sequence/collect-dry/dry-your-specimens). Please send an email to NATrufflingSociety@gmail.com to find out if we can accept your specimens.
  We have provided fields for additional information for your observation on iNaturalist, if possible, please provide this information that is often crucial for identification:

Collector’s name (your real name, please for the specimen label)
Elevation (estimate if you don’t have it exactly and tell us in the notes that it is an estimate)
Slope (estimate if you don’t have it exactly and tell us in the notes that it is an estimate)
Aspect (N NE E SE S SW W NW)
Overstory trees (scientific if you can but common names are okay)
Understory trees and shrubs
Substrate (moss, mineral soil, soil, wood, or litter)
Fresh notes such as colors and odor (use the notes section on iNaturalist) less ↑