Photo taken on Aug. 9, 2018 shows that a food festival of wild ruffles was held in southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Xie Ziyi)
KUNMING, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have discovered two new species of white truffle in southwest China's Yunnan Province, according to the Kunming Institute of Botany under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
After conducting extensive field investigations, specimen collection, and morphological anatomy and phylogenetic studies, the research team found two new species named Tuber songlu and Tuber qujingense which belong to a truffle genera called Puberulum. Both of them provide a vital source of food and revenue.
The study, published in the journal Phytotaxa, once again proves that Yunnan is a global leader in biodiversity, and is a key area for studying the speciation and diversity differentiation of truffles.
Furthermore, the study provides basic scientific data for diversity assessment, resource conservation and sustainable utilization of truffle genera.
Accounting for over one-third of the world's truffle species, China's truffle species are mainly distributed in the mountainous areas of southwest China. To date, more than 70 truffle species have been found in China, among which over 40 have been reported in Yunnan, and all of them are endemic to China. ■
