Terfeziaceae

Fruit-bodies (ascomata) are large, more or less spherical to turbinate (top-shaped), thick-walled, and solid. The asci are formed in marbled veins interspersed with sterile tissue. The asci are cylindrical to spherical, indehiscent (not splitting open at maturity), and sometimes stain blue in iodine. Ascospores are hyaline to pale brown, spherical, and uninucleate.Cannon, P.F., Kirk, P.M. (2007). Fungal Families of the World. p. 347. Singapore: CABI Publishing. 456 pp.

According to BioLib, Terfeziaceae contains the following genera:

{{linked genus list

| Adelphella | Pfister, Matocec & I. Kušan

| Amylascus | Trappe

| Boudiera | Cooke

| Calongea | Healy, Bonito & Trappe

| Cazia | Trappe

| Chromelosporium | Corda

| Cleistoiodophanus | J.L. Bezerra & Kimbr.

| Daleomyces | Setch.

| Eremiomyces | Trappe & Kagan-Zur

| Galactinia | (Cooke) Boud.

| Glischroderma | Fuckel

| Hapsidomyces | J.C. Krug & Jeng

| Hydnobolites | Tul. & C. Tul.

| Hydnotryopsis | Gilkey

| Iodophanus | Korf

| Iodowynnea | Medel, Guzmán & S. Chacón

| Kalaharituber | Trappe & Kagan-Zur

| Kimbropezia | Korf & W.Y. Zhuang

| Malvipezia | Van Vooren

| Marcelleina | Brumm., Korf & Rifai

| Mattirolomyces | E. Fisch.

| Muciturbo | P.H.B. Talbot

| Mycoclelandia | Trappe & G.W. Beaton

| Ostracoderma | Fr.

| Pachyella | Boud.

| Pachyphloeus | Tul. & C. Tul.

| Peziza | Dill. ex Fr.

| Plicaria | Fuckel

| Plicariella | (Sacc.) Rehm

| Rhodopeziza | Hohmeyer & J. Moravec

| Ruhlandiella | Henn.

| Sarcosphaera | Auersw.

| Sphaerozone | Zobel

| Stouffera | Kovács, Trappe

| Svrcekia | Kubička

| Temperantia | K. Hansen, Healy & Kovács

| Terfezia | (Tul. & C. Tul.) Tul. & C. Tul.

| Tirmania | Chatin

| Ulurua | Trappe, Claridge & Kovács

}}

Desert truffles have been found in arid and semi-arid zones of the Kalahari Desert, the Mediterranean basin, Syria, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the Negev desert in Israel, the Sahara, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Croatia, and China.Kagan-Zur V. Terfezias, a family of mycorrhizal edible mushrooms for arid zones. In: {{cite book |author1=Schlissel, Arnold |author2=Pasternak, D. |title=Combating desertification with plants |publisher=Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers |location=New York |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-306-46632-8 }}Loizides, M., Hobart, C., Konstandinides, G., Yiangou, Y. (2012). Desert Truffles: The mysterious jewels of antiquity. Field Mycology 13 (1): 17-21. doi:10.1016/j.fldmyc.2011.12.004 As the name suggests, they predominantly grow in the desert. They can be formed near Sunrose (Helianthemum) plants, but they are very rare to find and cannot be cultivated (justifying their cost).

Desert truffles do not have the same flavor as European truffles, but tend to be more common and thus more affordable. Forest truffles (genus Tuber) typically cost $1,000 per kilogram; Italian truffles may sell for up to $2,200 per kg, while Terfezia truffles sold as of 2002 in Riyadh for $200 to $305 a kg, and in recent years have reached, but not yet exceeded, $570. Israeli agricultural scientists have been attempting to domesticate Terfezia boudieri into a commercial crop.{{Cite web|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/desert-truffles|title=As Israel's Desert Truffles Become Scarce, a Researcher Works to Grow Them as Crops|last=Nargi|first=Lela|date=2019-07-01|website=Atlas Obscura|language=en|access-date=2020-04-20}}

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Desert truffles go by several different names. In Iran they are called Donbalan or {{Transl|ar|Dombal}}. In Turkish they are called {{Transl|ckb|Domalan}} in Turkiye, also Keme on the Syrian-Turkiye border. In Algeria and Tunisia they are called {{Transl|ar|terfez}}; the Bedouin of the Western Desert call them terfas ترفاس. The Kuwaitis call them {{Transl|ar|fagga}} {{lang|ar|فقع}}, the Saudis {{Transl|ar|faq'h}} {{lang|ar|فقع}}, and in Syria, and in Libya {{Transl|ar|terfase}} {{lang|ar|ترفاس}}; they are known by their classical Arabic name, {{Transl|ar|kamaa}} {{lang|ar|كمأ}}. Iraqis call them {{Transl|ar|kamaa}}, {{Transl|ar|kima}} or {{Transl|ar|chima}} {{lang|ar|كمأ}}, depending on local dialects and in Oman they are {{Transl|ar|faqah}} {{lang|ar|فقع}}. The Hebrew word is {{Lang|he-latn|kmehin}} כמהין ({{Lang|he-latn|kmeha}} in singular). In Catalonia they are known as {{Lang|ca|tòfones d'arenal}} and {{Lang|ca|turmes}}. In southern Spain, they are known as {{Lang|es|turmas}} or {{Lang|es|criadillas}} and in the Canary Islands they are known as {{Lang|es|papas crias}}. In Botswana they are called mahupu. In Hungary they are known as {{Lang|hu|homoki szarvasgomba}} ('sand truffles') and are sold to English-speaking nations as honey truffles.{{cite web|url=http://www.trufamania.com/Mattirolomyces-truffles.htm|title=The Hungarian Sweet Truffle|work=Trufamania}}{{additional citation needed|date=July 2024}}

In Saudi Arabia, there are two varieties; {{Transl|ar|khalasi}} are oval with a black skin and a pinkish-ivory interior, and {{Transl|ar|zubaidi}} have a cream colour but are generally more expensive.{{fact|date=July 2024}}

In oceanic countries, there is some confusion regarding the desert truffle, as the yam is often referred to as the common desert truffle as well.Tedder, M. M. Yams, a description of their cultivation on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.(Noumea: South Pacific Commission, 1974) pp. xi

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{{Reflist|refs=

Feeney, J: Desert Truffles Galore, page 22–27. Saudi Aramco World, 2002.

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• Dıéz J, Manjón JL, Martin F. (2002) [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15572536.2003.11833230 Molecular phylogeny of the mycorrhizal desert truffles (Terfezia and Tirmania), host specificity and edaphic tolerance.] Mycologia 94(2): 247–259.

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Category:Pezizaceae

Category:Edible fungi

Category:Ascomycota families