Host Trees for White Truffles

Oak

• Many truffières in Europe and Asia are traditionally wooded with oak trees, since many varieties of truffles, including white truffles, can grow to fruiting size around their roots. Many truffières around the world followed suite, but native trees other than oak trees can also host white truffles. However, even oak tree roots are often first inoculated with truffle mycelium (truffle fungi matter) to encourage the fungi to grow around its roots.

Hazelnut

• Another commonly grown white truffle host tree, hazelnuts are valued not only for hosting the lucrative white truffle crop, but for producing marketable hazelnuts as well. Regions that can support hazelnut are fewer than those that can host the ubiquitous oak, so they're used as host trees in fewer regions.

Pecan

• Another tree that produces a secondary crop other than white truffles, pecan trees are valued for both the fungus and their nut crop. However, pecans natively host Tuber lyonii (a.k.a. Tuber texenese) white truffles. These are different from the more commonly farmed and sought-after white truffle, Tuber magnatum.

Other Trees

• In the northwest, Douglas firs are the most common host of white truffles, while in southern United States, it is pecan trees. Truffles are symbiotic with many different types of trees, aiding their growth even as the tree roots provide nourishment to the fungi. Daniel B. Wheeler, prominent U.S. truffle hunter, notes that almost any tree can host these elusive culinary treasures.