Stephanospora

Stephanospora is a genus of truffle-like gasteroid fungi in the order Agaricales. In 2014, nine new Australasian species were described from collections previously thought to represent S. flava.

Taxonomy

Stephanospora was circumscribed by French mycologist Narcisse Théophile Patouillard in 1914 with S. caroticolor as the type species.

Natural compounds

The "carrot truffle", Stephanospora caroticolor, contains the compound stephanosporin, a 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol precursor. The compound, which gives the fruitbody its orange colour, converts to the toxic 2-chloro-4-nitrophenolate when the fruitbody is injured.