Lyonii

Tuber lyonii
Source Wikimedia Commons

Scientific Name

Tuber lyonii

Common Names

American brown truffle, Pecan truffle

Seasons

September – March

Description

The fruit body T. lyonii a light brown outer skin that can be rounded, have “lobes”, and may be furrowed or smooth. Relatively small truffles, the fruiting bodies can reach up to 12 centimeters across at maturity, though most fall between 0.5 and 2 centimeters (3 to 10 g).

Aroma/Flavor

These truffles exhibit a distinct nutty and earthy flavor when mature.

Distribution

Naturally found in North America in a range extending from the northern Mexico states of Nuevo León and Tamaulipas into Québec, Canada and from the eastern seaboard out to the southern reaches of the Rocky Mountains.

Dog harvested truffles tend to be of better quality as the dog tend to identify mature truffles. Raking indiscriminately gets all truffles, ripe or not, and results in unreliable crop quality.

See grading guidelines

Other species