When I first dug up a few of these little fungal balls 5 years ago, I thought maybe I'd stumbled on Oregon White Truffles. No such luck. They are neat though - from what I've read, I suspect these are probably connected to ectomycorrhiza associated with Douglas Fir trees but there are literally dozens and dozens of Rhizopogon species. From Wikipedia: Through their ectomycorrhizal relationships Rhizopogon are thought to play an important role in the ecology of coniferous forests. I was in touch with Dr. Shannon Berch in 2016 who was willing to sequence the spores but I never did find any balls with mature spores. Just an another gardening surprise - False Truffles!
Really enjoyed this thread Margot, I was reading about the price of truffles last year and it is ridiculous what people are willing to pay for them. But what J @Frog said, "a great experience" and you shared this with us all. Thankyou
