Tuber mesentericum vitt. Common black truffle

Tuber mesentericum Vittad. [= T. bituminatum Berk. et Broome], commonly called ordinary black truffle, Bagnoli black truffle, Rapetti, “carbolic acid”, “carbolic”. The specific epithet of the Latin binomial derives from the convoluted appearance of the mycelial veins present inside the gleba, which give it an appearance similar to that of the mesentery (double-layered serous membrane that maintains and establishes the position of an organ in the abdominopelvic cavity). The common names recall the area of ​​greatest production and the intense and penetrating smell which disappears with cooking, thus allowing it to be used in the preparation of sauces, mixed with more valuable species.

Ascomi	Ascomata globose or sub-globose in shape, often reniform, featuring a depression or cavity-very evident in cross-section-and ranging from 2 to 10 cm in diameter.
Peridium	Black peridium with small, tightly packed warts lacking evident transverse striations.
Gleba	Flesh is firm and meaty, yellowish or grey-brown in color. It features pale, labyrinthine, and convoluted veins that disappear upon cooking.
Aschi	Asci globose, stalked. Spores large, elliptical, imperfectly alveolate, numbering from 1 to 3–4 per ascus. It emits an odor resembling iodoform, tar, or carbolic acid.
Symbiotic plants	It grows in symbiosis with oak, hornbeam, hazel, chestnut, and beech.
Harvest period	In the Puglia region, the harvesting of this species is permitted from September 1st to January 31st.