Kalaharituber pfeilii
| Kalaharituber pfeilii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Subdivision: | Pezizomycotina |
| Class: | Pezizomycetes |
| Order: | Pezizales |
| Family: | Pezizaceae |
| Genus: |
Kalaharituber Trappe & Kagan-Zur |
| Type species | |
|
K. pfeilii (Hennings) Trappe & Kagan-Zur |
|
Kalaharituber pfeilii is a fungus belonging to the order Pezizales. It is present in the Kalahari Desert, as well other arid regions in Southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. It is edible.
As mentioned beforehand, K. pfeilii is found the Kalahari Desert, as well as in arid regions of South Africa, Angola, Botswana and Namibia. It is found in soils with pH ranging from 5.5 to 6.5, with a sand content varing from 94%-97%, a clay content varying from 2%-5% and a silt content varying from 1%-4%.
Fruiting bodies can be up to 12 cm in diameter. These weigh approximately 200 grams, although larger rains (which affect weight) can cause them to weigh twice as much. These fruits grow close to the surface, which causes surface cracks on the ground above after rains. These fruiting bodies can occur as much as 40 cm away from the main hyphae.
K. pfeilii is known to form an ectomycorrhizal relationship with Citrullus lanatus, and is suspected to have a number of other possible relationships with other plant species. These include Sorghum bicolor, Eragrostis spp., Grewia flava, several species of acacia, and Cynodon dactylon.
K. pfeilii is eaten by meerkats, hyenas, baboons and bat-eared foxes, as well as humans.
According to a case study by the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the fruiting body is eaten by the Khoisan of the Kalahari.
In the same study, a citation from the study states that:
There is already considerable commercial harvesting of Kalahari truffles. However there is still much more that needs to be learned to ensure that the Kalahari truffle industry is sustainable and the authors emphasize that equally important is attention to the interests of the indigenous inhabitants.
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Wikipedia