Black truffle tree – English oak

English oak (Quercus robur) mycorrhized with Black truffle (Tuber melanosporum).

container size: 6 x 6 x 13 cm

Black truffle – Tuber melanosporum (Périgord or French Truffle)

Season: October – March

The iconic ‘Périgord’ truffle is the finest black truffle, undoubtedly the king of all truffles. It is normally round and has a slightly rough surface. Its carpophore has a grayish-brown color with shades of black. They live in symbiosis with hazelnut and oak trees, in the Mediterranean in particular. The black truffle is primarily harvested from October to mid-March, and has an exquisite, very strong, robustious, and musky aroma.

English oak (Quercus robur) is large, long-lived deciduous tree, widely distributed in Europe. Together with Sessile oak (Q. petraea), to which English oak is very similar, it is one of the most economically and ecologically important deciduous forest tree species in Europe.
The wood from oaks is hard and durable and valued for several purposes including for construction, furniture, veneer, fencing and firewood. It has a high tannin content, which makes it resistant to insect and fungal attacks and is particular useful for wine and spirit barrels.

Oak species also have an important ecological role, as they support insects and their acorns provide a valuable food source for many birds and mammals. The canopy of oaks allows a fair amount of light to pass through, permitting a diverse and enriched understory.

English oak is very tolerant to soil conditions and the continental climate. It can be found in periodic wet areas by streams and rivers, but prefers fertile and well-watered soils. English oak is a pioneer species in plains and hills, while it is a late successional species in valleys and floodplains. /EUFORGEN/