Armillaria ostoyae, widely known as the largest fungus in the world when it was discovered in Oregon in 1998, stretches 3.5 miles (5.6 km) across. It looks similar to a mushroom, but it is only a distant relative. The largest mushroom fungi is Fomitiporia ellipsoidea, which measured about 32 feet (10 m) long and 2.6 feet (80 cm) wide and weighed about 1,100 pounds (about 500 kg). It is technically the largest fruiting body, or spore-producing structure, and was discovered in 2010 in China underneath a tree. It is a shelf or bracket fungus, which means that the fungus attaches itself to wood or other materials and develops in a shelf-like shape.
More about large fungi:
- In addition to being one of the largest organisms ever to exist, Armillaria ostoyae is also one of the oldest. It was estimated to be more than 8,000 years old when it was discovered in 1998.
- The city of Crystal Falls, Michigan, celebrates the large fungi in the area with an annual Humungus Fungus Fest.
- Scientists believed the Fomitiporia ellipsoidea was only 20 years old when it was discovered in 2010.
