5 new truffle species identified in New Hampshire

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have identified five new types of truffles.

And while they aren’t the kind you’d want to sprinkle over pasta, scientists say they could contain important information about the health of New England’s forests. Two of the species have only been found in New Hampshire.

Doctoral student Ryan Stephens found the new species in the White Mountain National Forest. And while they haven’t been formally identified and named, one of them is now called E. oreoides because its coloring is reminiscent of an Oreo cookie.

Truffles are the fruit of underground fungi, which many trees depend upon for growth. Researchers say the discovery helps explain the complex relationship of a region where truffle diversity has been poorly documented.