Terfezia
Genus of fungi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terfezia (Berber: Tirfas) is a genus of truffle-like fungi within the Pezizaceae family. Terfezia species are commonly known as desert truffles.
| Terfezia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Terfezia sp. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Pezizomycetes |
| Order: | Pezizales |
| Family: | Pezizaceae |
| Genus: | Terfezia (Tul. & C.Tul.) Tul. & C.Tul. (1851) |
| Type species | |
| Terfezia arenaria | |
| Species | |
|
34, see text | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Taxonomy
Some authorities consider this the type genus of the family Terfeziaceae,[1] although phylogenetic analysis suggests that it nests within the Pezizaceae.[2] The Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition, 2008) suggests that the genus contains 12 species.[2] A recent (2011) publication used molecular analysis to show that the American Terfezia species had been incorrectly classified, and moved Terfezia spinosa and Terfezia longii to Mattirolomyces and Stouffera, respectively; as a result, no Terfezia species are known to exist in North America.[3]
Cultivation
Israeli agricultural scientists have been attempting to domesticate T. boudieri into a commercial crop. The host plant of Terfezia boudieri, Helianthemum sessiliflorum, has slim, dark leaves and twigs bearing small yellow flowers.[4]
Species
As of December 2015[update], Index Fungorum accepts 34 species in Terfezia:[5]
- Terfezia albida[6]
- Terfezia alsheikhii[7]
- Terfezia aphroditis
- Terfezia arenaria
- Terfezia berberiodora
- Terfezia boudieri
- Terfezia cadevalli
- Terfezia canariensis
- Terfezia castanea
- Terfezia claveryi
- Terfezia decaryi
- Terfezia deflersii
- Terfezia eliocrocae[6]
- Terfezia eremita
- Terfezia extremadurensis[6]
- Terfezia fanfani
- Terfezia hafizi
- Terfezia hanotauxii
- Terfezia hispanica
- Terfezia indica
- Terfezia leptoderma
- Terfezia lutescens
- Terfezia magnusii
- Terfezia mellerionis
- Terfezia metaxasi
- Terfezia olbiensis
- Terfezia ovalispora
- Terfezia pallida
- Terfezia pini[6]
- Terfezia pseudoleptoderma[6]
- Terfezia rosea
- Terfezia schweinfurthii
- Terfezia sinuosa
- Terfezia transcaucasica
- Terfezia zeynebiae