The Tuberaceae () are a
family of
mycorrhizal fungi in the order
Pezizales
The Pezizales are an order of the subphylum Pezizomycotina within the phylum Ascomycota. The order contains 16 families, 199 genera, and 1683 species. It contains a number of species of economic importance, such as morels, the black and white tr ...
, that evolved during or after the first major
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
of
Angiosperms in the
Jurassic period (140–180 million years ago, Mya). It includes the genus ''
Tuber'', which includes the so-called "true"
truffles. It was characterized by the Belgian botanist
Barthélemy Charles Joseph du Mortier in 1822. A
molecular
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioche ...
study of
ribosomal DNA by mycologist Kerry O'Donnell in 1997 found that a small
clade
A clade (), also known as a monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that are monophyletic – that is, composed of a common ancestor and all its lineal descendants – on a phylogenetic tree. Rather than the English term, ...
now redefined as
Helvellaceae
The Helvellaceae are a family of ascomycete fungi, the best-known members of which are the elfin saddles of the genus '' Helvella''. Originally erected by Elias Magnus Fries in 1823 as ''Elvellacei'', it contained many genera. Several of these, ...
is most closely related to the Tuberaceae.
[ The mycologist Mary Cloyd Burnley Stifler studied and described fungal family, donating specimens to herbariums across the United States.]
References
Pezizales
Truffles (fungi)
Ascomycota families
Taxa named by Barthélemy Charles Joseph Dumortier
{{Pezizomycetes-stub