habitat_location_limestone zone
calcareous
Picoa lefebvrei fruits from January to April in North Africa and Middle East during years of adequate rainfall (Alsheikh & Trappe 1983). In Kuwait the species is confined to gypsiferous and calcareous gravelly deserts, where it is dug out and eaten by several species of migrating birds (Alsheikh & Trappe 1983). Bokhary & Parvez (1988) regarded some ecological factors as favorable for production of desert truffles. In particular they considered rainfall as important for fructification of Terfezia and Picoa species. Morte et al. (2009), who stressed the importance of irrigation in cultivating desert truffles, pointed out that irrigation should be applied first at the end of the summer during dry years when rainfall is less than 150 mm and next at the beginning of the fruiting season in very dry years. It is interesting to note that the collection sites for P. lefebvrei in Muayala Natural Reserve experience drip irrigation of ca. 150 mm of water per year, while the mean annual rainfall value for this locality is only 40 mm.
Picoa lefebvrei
Picoa lefebvrei