Tuber gibbosum as seen from a vole's perspective. Then after excavating from a human perspective. This specimen was fairly large, about 3.5 ounces. This is a common appearance of a freshly dug truffle: muddy, plump, cold. Dr. James Trappe of Oregon State University was encouraged to re-examine the original collection of T. gibbosum by Harkness after I continually found/innoculated these "Spring" forms of T. gibbosum. Examination by scanning electron microscopy later determined that the original collection of T. gibbosum has a pinched- or donut-shaped spore under extremely high magnification. What had been called Tuber gibbosum previously does not have that pinched-spore appearance. While spore size for both Tuber gibbosum and T. oregonense is the same, Dr. Trappe accepted the original spring T. gibbosum as the original, and renamed the new species T. oregonense. In addition, T. gibbosum in extreme maturity can have a nearly chocolate-brown gleba. Specimens which are dried can be hard to distinquish from Leucangium carthusiana, or the Oregon Black truffle. T. gibbosum is species specific (found only with) Douglas fir. I first attempted cultivation of this species at Paul Bishop's Jones Creek Tree Farm in May, 1987, after my first success in growing/innoculation of Geopora cooperi.