How to identify Piedmont White Truffle or Alba Truffle

To correctly identify Piedmont White Truffle or Alba Truffle (Tuber magnatum), check each of these features in order. Misidentification is the most common cause of mushroom poisoning, so cross-reference multiple sources.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Cap

   Shape, color, surface texture, and diameter.

   N/A (Subterranean)

2. 2

   Gills

   Attachment to stem, color, and spacing.

   None (Hypogeous fungus)

3. 3

   Stem

   Length, shape, surface, and any ring.

   None

4. 4

   Flesh

   Color, texture, and bruising reaction.

   Firm, cream to light brown or ochre, with a distinct 'marbled' pattern of fine white veins.

5. 5

   Fruiting body

   Overall growth pattern.

   Irregular, tuber-like ascocarp, typically 2–12 cm in diameter.

6. 6

   Habitat

   Where it grows and on what substrate.

   Hypogeous, growing 5–30 cm underground in symbiotic association with roots of specific broadleaf trees.

Key Facts

Cap surfaces

Smooth, finely velvety, pale yellow to light brown.

Growth Form

Solitary or clustered, hypogeous.

Spore Print

Brown (microscopic observation required).

Body color

Cream, ochre, or pale brownish-yellow.

Odor

Strongly aromatic, complex, distinct.

Flesh bruises

Darkens slightly when bruised or cut.

Height

Variable (subterranean tuber)

Cap Diameter

2–12 cm

Fruit body characteristics

• Gill attachment: N/A
• Stem shape: N/A
• Stem surface: N/A
• Ring: N/A
• Stem cross-section: N/A

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