Sorry Steve. French Black truffles _have_ been cultivated in the United
States. But production is very minor - less than 25 lbs./year last I
checked.

As for the esteemed Boletus edulis, there is considerable question
whether the European variety (which is often mis-identified, and
mis-labelled with such fungi as Suillus and Tylophilus) is, in
reality, the same fungi found in the United States. Scientists are now
doing DNA analysis to compare the material.

Most of the so-called Boletus edulis marketed in the Pacific Northwest
is, in reality, Boletus pinicola - a similar, rather robust, and
eminently edible species in its own right.

If this seems far-fetched, remember that until Dr. Eric Danell (who has
cultivated Cantharellus cibarius - Golden chanterelle) compared the
Pacific Northwest chanterelle with the material from Sweden, both were
considered to be the same species. His research has shown that C.
cibarius is distinct and different from C. formosus - which is
currently the state mushroom of Oregon, BTW.

Daniel B. Wheeler
www.oregonwhitetruffles.com