(pl. Truffles)
Terms discussed: acorn truffle (pl. acorn truffles), deer truffle (pl. deer truffles)
See Also:
squirrel
The word "truffle" is an informal term for
(a) any fungus that produces a lumpy, hypogeous fruiting body,
and for
(b) the fruiting body itself.
"True" truffles are in the genus Tuber or Terfezia , and are among the most prized foods in the world. Other hypogeous fungi ("false truffles") include Elaphomyces (the "deer truffles," highly prized by our bambaceous brethren), "acorn truffles", and sundry other taxa.
Arora uses the term " truffle" for any underground ascomycete, and reserves "false truffle" for underground basidiomycetes. That is also a reasonable way to use these terms.
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