Truffles in this group can have favourable aromas but are not typically consumed by humans, probably because of their thick and hard peridium. There is only one British member of the excavatum group.
Tuber excavatum
| Common Name: | Hollowed truffle. |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Tuber excavatum Vittad. |
| Etymology: | From Latin excavatus, hollowed out. |
| Detailed information: | Trufamania |
| Peridium: | Thick and hard. |
| Gleba: | Brown-ochre to reddish brown as they mature. Light coloured branching veins. |
| Shape: | Irregular with a cavity in the base. |
| Size: | Most commonly, up to 4 cm across. |
| Ripening period: | Autumn. |
| Distribution: | In Britain, most frequent in beech woods in light calcareous soil and appearing restricted to southern England. In Europe also under oak. |