Ngā Rauropi Whakaoranga

pānako

"This truffle nearly resembles the European, it is abundant, but difficult to discover; the natives esteem it as an article of food; there are several varieties of it" (Taylor 1847).

The identity of this fungus is uncertain. The genus Tuber is not known from the southern hemisphere. Ascomycete truffles native to New Zealand are Dingleya phymatodea, D. turbinata, D. verrucosa and Labyrinthomyces varius. These have fruit bodies resembling Tuber. (Ross Beever, pers.com.)