Sequestrate fungi (truffles) are characterized by enclosed fruitbodies that make forcible spore discharge impossible.These fungi are highly polyphyletic and have arisen many times within Ascomycota and Basidiomycota.Although a number of new lineages of sequestrate fungi have still been discovered from various regions of the world, sequestrate fungi in Africa have not been extensively studied and no molecular data are available for most species.