Desert truffles of the Australian outback: Ecology, ethnomycology, and taxonomy

James M. Trappe, Andrew W. Claridge, Deborah L. Claridge, Lynette Liddle

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    29 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The Aborigines of central Australia have traditionally used desert truffles as food. Truffle hunting in the desert requires substantial ecological knowledge, as truffles occur sporadically and only with adequate and properly distributed rainfall as well as the presence of necessary soil conditions and mycorrhizal hosts. Truffles are hunted primarily by women, who look for cracks or humps in the soil caused by expansion of the truffles, which are then extracted with digging sticks. The truffles are typically eaten raw or baked or roasted in ashes. Seven truffle species are recorded from the Australian Outback, including three that have been only recently described.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)497-506
    Number of pages10
    JournalEconomic Botany
    Volume62
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Nov 2008

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