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Terfezia

Specimen image via iDigBio · BY-NC-SA

EntityQ3672546· pop 10· linked from 14 articles

Terfezia (Berber: Tirfas) is a genus of truffle-like fungi within the Pezizaceae family. Terfezia species are commonly known as desert truffles. Some authorities consider this the type genus of the family Terfeziaceae, although phylogenetic analysis suggests that it nests within the Pezizaceae. The Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition, 2008) suggests that the genus contains 12 species. 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, re

Species

GENUS

  1. KingdomFungi
  2. PhylumAscomycota
  3. ClassPezizomycetes
  4. OrderPezizales
  5. FamilyPezizaceae

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
31
With media
6
Family
Pezizaceae
Collections
CIIDIR-IPN, MICH, OSC, ILLS, UFPE, LSUM
Recorded in
Mexico, United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Bahrain, Europe, Tunisia, Portugal

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
Pezizaceae
Image
Desert truffle - Terfezia spp. from Avanos, Turkey.jpg
Show 6 more facts
taxon rank
genus
taxon name
Terfezia
Commons category
Terfezia
topic's main category
Category:Terfezia
taxonomic type
Terfezia arenaria
taxon author citation
(Tul. & C. Tul.) Tul. & C. Tul.
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

2 sections
Contents
  • Species
  • References

Terfezia (Berber: Tirfas) is a genus of truffle-like fungi within the Pezizaceae family. Terfezia species are commonly known as desert truffles. Some authorities consider this the type genus of the family Terfeziaceae, although phylogenetic analysis suggests that it nests within the Pezizaceae. The Dictionary of the Fungi (10th edition, 2008) suggests that the genus contains 12 species. 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.

Israeli agricultural scientists have been attempting to domesticate T. boudieri into a commercial crop. Terfezia boudieri’s host plant, Helianthemum sessiliflorum, has slim, dark leaves and twigs bearing small yellow flowers.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Terfezia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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