The largest mushrooms and conks are the largest known individual fruit bodies.[ when defined as? ] These are known as sporocarps, or, more specifically, basidiocarps and ascocarps for the Basidiomycota and Ascomycota respectively. These fruit bodies have a wide variety of morphologies, ranging from the typical mushroom shape, to brackets (conks), puffballs, cup fungi, stinkhorns, crusts and corals. Many species of fungi, including yeasts, moulds and the fungal component of lichens, do not form fruit bodies in this sense, but can form visible presences such as cankers. Individual fruit bodies need not be individual biological organisms, and extremely large single organisms can be made up of a great many fruit bodies connected by networks of mycelia (including the "humongous fungus", a single specimen of Armillaria solidipes ) can cover a very large area.
The largest identified fungal fruit body in the world is a specimen of Phellinus ellipsoideus (formerly Fomitiporia ellipsoidea). The species was discovered in 2008 by Bao-Kai Cui and Yu-Cheng Dai in Fujian Province, China. In 2011, the two of them published details of extremely large fruit body of the species that they had found on Hainan Island. The specimen, which was 20 years old, was estimated to weigh between 400 and 500 kilograms (880 and 1,100 lb). This was markedly larger than the previously largest recorded fungal fruit body, a specimen of Rigidoporus ulmarius found in the United Kingdom that had a circumference of 425 cm (167 in).
Species and family | Distribution | Dimensions | Height | Weight | Comments |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Phellinus ellipsoideus (formerly Fomitiporia ellipsoidea), Polyporaceae | Southern China | 10.85 m (35.6 ft) long by 84 cm (33 in) broad by 5 cm (2.0 in) thick. [1] [2] | Between 401.9 and 515.7 kg (886 and 1,137 lb). | This species was discovered by science in 2008. | |
Rigidoporus ulmarius (formerly Polyporus actinobolus), Polyporaceae [3] | Western and Southern Europe. | At the Int'l. Mycological Inst. at Kew Gardens, London in 1996. 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) wide by 1.47 m (4 ft 10 in) broad by 21 cm (8.3 in) top to bottom. [4] [5] | 21 cm (8.3 in) top to bottom. | 284.5 kg (627 lb) in 1998. | It perished after a family of foxes took residence beneath it. [6] |
Phellinus pachyphloeus (or Inonotus pachyphloeus), Polyporaceae | The Indian subcontinent. | A team headed by Manoj Kumar found a massive specimen of this species growing out of a Mango tree near Barotiwala, Dehra Dun, Uttar Pradesh, India which measured 4 ft 11.5 in (151.1 cm) in width, 4 ft 8 in (142 cm) in breadth and 22.5 inches (57 cm) top to bottom. [7] [8] | 57 cm (22 in) top to bottom. | Weight not stated, but certainly less than the Rigidoporus above. | The owner of the land said that it was about 22 years old. |
Bridgeoporus nobilissimus , Polyporaceae | western Washington state, western Oregon and northwestern California. | 1.42 m (4 ft 8 in) wide by 94 cm (37 in) broad 91.5 cm (36.0 in) top to bottom. | 91.5 cm (36.0 in) top to bottom. | 140 kg (300 lb). | Species discovered in 1949 by Sandoz brothers. Displayed in offices of Weyerhauser Lumber Co. for many years. [9] [10] |
Serpula lacrymans , Polyporaceae | Originally native to Himalayan foothills, but now of pan-temperate distribution. | 3.66 m (12.0 ft) wide by 4.57 m (15.0 ft) top to bottom. Thickness not stated. | 4.57 m (15.0 ft) top to bottom. | Weight not stated. | Found growing from an Oak beam in a tunnel in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England in 1858. [11] [12] [13] [14] It is commonly called the "House Fungus". |
Calvatia gigantea , Lycoperdaceae | Of cosmopolitan distribution. | One found in Herkimer County, New York in 1877 by Prof. R. Ellsworth Call was 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) wide by 1.37 m (4 ft 6 in) broad by 24 cm (9.4 in) high. [15] [16] The most voluminous found in recent times was one at Thunder Bay, Ontario along the banks of the Kaministiquia River found by Adrian Karasiewicz in the summer of 2016. It was 81 inches (210 cm) in girth. [17] | 24 cm (9.4 in) high. | Another, in Montreal, Quebec, found by Jean-Guy Richard in 1987, weighed 22 kg (49 lb), [18] and was 2.64 m (8 ft 8 in) in circumference [19] while another found in July 2012 by Christian Therrien of Sparwood, Canada claimed a weight of 25.9 kg (57 lb) which the accompanying photo seems to confirm. [20] | A large Puffball can produce up to seven quintillion (7,000,000,000,000,000,000) spores; [21] enough to dust all the world's dry land with 43,750 spores per square foot (per 30 cm X 30 cm). Still another puffball, found in 1857 by J. Dilwyn Llewelin near the coast of Glamorganshire, Wales measured 43 inches (110 cm) long by 38 inches (97 cm) wide and weighed 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg). [22] |
Fomitiporea expansa , Hymenochaetaceae | Probably endemic to French Guiana and neighboring Suriname. | The type specimen measured over forty inches (over one meter) in width. [23] | Weight not stated. | This is a very recent discovered species; 2014. It was found near the Suriname border. | |
Chaga mushroom Inonotus obliquus Polyporaceae | Much of the Northern Hemisphere. This one in Quebec. | Circumference of 42 inches (110 centimeters). | 78.2 pounds (35.5 kilograms). [24] | Approximately 15 additional pounds (6.8 kilograms) was left on the host tree for regrowth, bringing the total weight to around 93 pounds (42 kg). | |
Phlebopus marginatus , Boletaceae | Native to humid regions of Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Sumatra and Java. | One found in South Australia prior to 1934 had a cap (pilea) 61 cm (24 in) wide by 46 cm (18 in) broad. | Same one (?) weighed 32.34 kg (71.3 lb) [25] | Another, at Hall's Gap, Victoria in 1939 weighed 28.6 kg (63 lb) but was 77.5 cm (30.5 in) across the cap. [26] The broadest specimen in recent years was one found on the farm of Mary Phillips at an unspecified location in Australia. Assuming her hand to measure 3 in (76 mm) across the knuckles, the cap is 25 in (640 mm) wide across its longest axis. [27] The most massive (heaviest) in recent years may be one discovered by Pamela McIntyre of Digby, Victoria in July 2012, which was found to weigh forty-four pounds (twenty kilograms). [28] Called the "Giant Toadstool" in eastern Australia, and "Salmon Gum Mushroom" in Western Australia. Much of the literature is under the older name Boletus portentosus. | |
Ganoderma lucidum , Ganodermataceae | China. This one Guangxi Province. | Cap 107 cm (42 in) wide. Stem short; only ±7 cm (±3 in ) thick. [29] [30] | By one report 14.9 kg (33 lb) but by another 7.45 kg (16.4 lb). | Fruiting body of G. lucidum can be a conk or a mushroom, depending on the orientation of the substrate. | |
Sparassis crispa , Sparassidaceae | The mountains of Europe, always in pine forest. | One found in Mayres, France in October 2000. Dimensions not stated. [31] [32] | 28.8 kg (63 lb). | The Clavariaceae do not form caps. The spores are produced on stalagmite-like growths. | |
Grifola frondosa Polyporaceae | North Temperate Zone. | One found by Hank and John Biscan of Mount Olive, Illinois weighed 63 pounds (29 kilograms). [33] | Called sheepshead mushroom. | ||
Meripilus giganteus , Polyporaceae | Europe | Up to three feet (0.91 meters) wide, usually accompanied by smaller ones. [34] | |||
Macrocybe titans , Tricholomataceae | Found from northern Florida to southern Brazil. An outlier was recently found in Athens, Georgia, USA. | One found in Chiapas State, Mexico in July 2007 measured 68.8 cm (27.1 in) across the cap and also 68.8 cm (27.1 in) in height. Another in Costa Rica measured 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in width. [35] [36] [37] | 68.8 cm (27.1 in) in height. | The Chiapas specimen weighed 20 kg (44 lb). | This species was only discovered in 1980 (originally named Tricholoma titans). It was apparently not known to native peoples. That such a conspicuous and widespread species escaped notice for centuries constitutes a major anomaly. |
Macrocybe gigantea (formerly Tricholoma giganteum), Tricholomataceae | Native to China, India, Pakistan, and Nepal. | A cluster of 5 or 6 joined at the base was found in Tengchong County, Yünnan Province, China in 2017. The largest was apparently 83.5 cm (32.9 in) in height while being 40 cm (16 in) in width. [38] [39] | 83.5 cm (32.9 in) in height | Weight not stated. | It was discovered by 81 year old Liu Dingsheng who states that it grew in only three days. An attempt was made to transplant the cluster to a safer location. Commonly called the Giant Mushroom. |
Bondarzewia berkeleyi , Bondarzewiaceae [40] | Eastern North America, Europe, China, New Zealand and New Guinea among other places. Nowhere is it common. | Subterranean tuber (sclerotium) produces from one to five funnel-shaped concentric caps sharing a common stalk. Total width up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in). [41] [42] | Tuber and funnels can total up to 22.7 kg (50 lb). | One found in Lawrence, Kansas in 2008 was 90 cm (3.0 ft) wide and weighed 6.8 kg (15 lb), but it is not clear whether the sclerotium was included. [43] B. berkeleyi is called "Stump Blossom" | |
Cerioporus squamosus , Polyporaceae | Cosmopolitan distribution. | One found by a Mr. Hopkirk at Dalbeth, Scotland in 1810 was 226 cm (89 in) in circumference. [44] | It weighed 15.46 kg (34.1 lb). | . | |
Fomes fomentarius , Polyporaceae | Widespread in north temperate zone. | A specimen growing in France in 2008 measured 88 cm (35 in) in width by 62 cm (24 in) top to bottom. [45] | 62 cm (24 in) top to bottom. | Weight not stated. | Formerly used as tender for flintlock rifles, and in medicine to control bleeding. Said to be "hard as wood". |
Laccocephalum mylittae , Polyporaceae | Australia. | . | Sclerotium weighs up to 18.18 kg (40.1 lb). [46] | Each subterranean sclerotium produces several mushrooms above ground. | |
Laetiporus sulphureus , Polyporaceae | Widespread in Northern Hemisphere. | Approximately half of a specimen found by Ty Whitmore near Maysville, Missouri in October 2005 was 76 cm (30 in) wide by 41 cm (16 in) top to bottom. [47] [48] [49] | 41 cm (16 in) top to bottom. | This portion weighed 25.46 kg (56.1 lb) | The other half fell into a creek and could not be recovered. |
Termitomyces titanicus , Lyophyllaceae | Zambia, and the Katanga (Shaba) region of Congo (Zaire), in Central Africa. | The type specimen measured 63 cm (25 in) across the cap, and stood 56 cm (22 in) in height. [50] [51] | 56 cm (22 in) in height. | Weight not stated. | Others are stated to be up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) in diameter. [52] A photograph was posted on April 19, 2016, on the respected "Words from the Wild" blogsite of a T. titanicus not less than 35 inches (89 cm) width across its greater axis. [53] |
Buglossoporus magnus , Fomitopsidaceae | Apparently endemic to the Malay Peninsula. | In 1940 Prof. E.J.H. Corner found the first on a fallen log in the Bukit Timah Forest Reserve, Singapore, which was 23.5 inches (60 cm) in width. [54] | Weight not stated. | Extremely rare. Only collected three times, all on the Malay Peninsula. | |
Phlebopus colossus , Boletaceae | Eastern Madagascar. | 60 centimetres (24 inches) across the cap (pilea) and ten inches (25 centimeters) in height. [55] | 25 cm (9.8 in) in height. | 13 lbs (six kg). | |
Leucocoprinus gongylophorus , Agaricaceae | Panama | 20 inches (51 centimeters) across cap by twelve inches (30 centimeters) in height. [56] | 30 cm in height. | Weight not stated. | |
Aspropaxillus giganteus | North Temperate Zone. | Pilea (cap) up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) in width, [57] and about twelve inches (30 cm) in height. | 30 cm (12 in) in height. | Weight not stated. | |
Boletus edulis , Boletaceae | Widespread in the northern temperate zone. | A specimen found in 1995 on the Isle of Skye, Scotland measured 42 cm (17 in) across the cap atop a stem 14 cm (5.5 in) thick. [58] | It weighed 3.2 kg (7.1 lb) | Common names include "penny bun" (Britain), "Cep" (France) and "Porcino" (Italy). | |
Agaricus campestris , Agaricaceae | Throughout the Northern Temperate Zone. | In 1907 One was found in England which measured 4 feet 5 inches (135 centimetres) in circumference equivalent to a width of 17 inches (43 centimeters). [59] | Weight not stated. | An Agaricus campestris grown in 1846 at Vitry near Paris, France and presented to King Louis Phillippe, was 14 inches (36 centimeters) wide, on a stalk 18.5 inches (47 cm) high and weighed 5 lb 8 oz (2.5 kg). [60] | |
Morchella esculenta , Morchellaceae | Widespread in the North Temperate Zone. | One found by Kelly Young in Iowa was 15 inches (38 centimeters) in height and 14 inches (36 cm) in cap girth. [61] The measurements were certified by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. | 37 cm (15 in) in height | It weighed 1.5 pounds (680 grams) |
Two large specimens are excluded from the list above. The first, a polypore photographed in 1903 at Yeerongpilly, Brisbane, Queensland, measured about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in width by 1 m (3 ft 3 in) top to bottom, emerging from a tree about two 2 m (6 ft 7 in) thick. It was sturdy enough to support the weight of two average women. [62]
The second is more speculative. Somewhere in his world travels, writer/naturalist/explorer Ivan T. Sanderson encountered reports of a species of fungi which "weigh a ton, and upheave large trees". [63] The earliest report appears to have been in the writings of James Brooke. [64]
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. Toadstool generally denotes one poisonous to humans.
Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside. They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypores are closely related to each other. Polypores are also called bracket fungi or shelf fungi, and they characteristically produce woody, shelf- or bracket-shaped or occasionally circular fruiting bodies that are called conks.
Fomitopsis betulina, commonly known as the birch polypore, birch bracket, or razor strop, is a common bracket fungus and, as the name suggests, grows almost exclusively on birch trees. The brackets burst out from the bark of the tree, and these fruit bodies can last for more than a year.
Laetiporus sulphureus is a species of bracket fungus found in Europe and North America. Its common names are sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, and chicken-of-the-woods. Its fruit bodies grow as striking golden-yellow shelf-like structures on tree trunks and branches. Old fruitbodies fade to pale beige or pale grey. The undersurface of the fruit body is made up of tubelike pores rather than gills.
Calvatia gigantea, commonly known in English as the giant puffball, is a puffball mushroom commonly found in meadows, fields, and deciduous forests in late summer and autumn. It is found in temperate areas throughout the world.
The Agaricomycetes are a class of fungi in the division Basidiomycota. The taxon is roughly identical to that defined for the Homobasidiomycetes by Hibbett & Thorn, with the inclusion of Auriculariales and Sebacinales. It includes not only mushroom-forming fungi, but also most species placed in the deprecated taxa Gasteromycetes and Homobasidiomycetes. Within the subdivision Agaricomycotina, which already excludes the smut and rust fungi, the Agaricomycetes can be further defined by the exclusion of the classes Tremellomycetes and Dacrymycetes, which are generally considered to be jelly fungi. However, a few former "jelly fungi", such as Auricularia, are classified in the Agaricomycetes. According to a 2008 estimate, Agaricomycetes include 17 orders, 100 families, 1147 genera, and about 21000 species. Modern molecular phylogenetic analyses have been since used to help define several new orders in the Agaricomycetes: Amylocorticiales, Jaapiales, Stereopsidales, and Lepidostromatales.
The sporocarp of fungi is a multicellular structure on which spore-producing structures, such as basidia or asci, are borne. The fruitbody is part of the sexual phase of a fungal life cycle, while the rest of the life cycle is characterized by vegetative mycelial growth and asexual spore production.
Rigidoporus ulmarius is a fungal plant pathogen found mainly on broad-leaved trees. Elm is considered particularly susceptible.
Hydnellum peckii is a fungus in the genus Hydnellum of the family Bankeraceae. It is a hydnoid species, producing spores on the surface of vertical spines or tooth-like projections that hang from the undersurface of the fruit bodies. It is found in North America, Europe, and was recently discovered in Iran (2008) and Korea (2010). Hydnellum peckii is a mycorrhizal species, and forms mutually beneficial relationships with a variety of coniferous trees, growing on the ground singly, scattered, or in fused masses.
Meripilus giganteus is a polypore fungus in the family Meripilaceae. It causes a white rot in various types of broadleaved trees, particularly beech (Fagus), but also Abies, Picea, Pinus, Quercus and Ulmus species. This bracket fungus, commonly known as the giant polypore or black-staining polypore, is often found in large clumps at the base of trees, although fruiting bodies are sometimes found some distance away from the trunk, parasitizing the roots. M. giganteus has a circumboreal distribution in the northern Hemisphere, and is widely distributed in Europe. In the field, it is recognizable by the large, multi-capped fruiting body, as well as its pore surface that quickly darkens black when bruised or injured.
Phellinus igniarius, commonly known as the willow bracket, fire sponge,false tinder polypore, punk ash polypore, or false tinder conk, is a fungus of the family Hymenochaetaceae. Like other members of the genus of Phellinus, it lives by saprotrophic nutrition, in which the lignin and cellulose of a host tree is degraded and is a cause of white rot.
Fomitiporia is a genus of fungi in the family Hymenochaetaceae. According to a 2008 estimate, the widely distributed genus contains 11 species, though three new species were identified in 2010 in sub-Saharan Africa using multigene molecular phylogenetic analysis, and two more were named in a 2013 article. In 2011 it was announced that a specimen of the species F. ellipsoidea was discovered with a fruit body that is largest known of any fungus. However, the species has since been moved to Phellinus.
Phellinus is a genus of fungi in the family Hymenochaetaceae. Many species cause white rot. Fruit bodies, which are found growing on wood, are resupinate, sessile, and perennial. The flesh is tough and woody or cork-like, and brown in color. Clamp connections are absent, and the skeletal hyphae are yellowish-brown.
Bridgeoporus is a fungal genus in the family Polyporaceae. A monotypic genus, it contains the single polypore species Bridgeoporus nobilissimus, first described to science in 1949. Commonly known both as the noble polypore and the fuzzy Sandozi, this fungus produces large fruit bodies that have been found to weigh up to 130 kilograms (290 lb). The upper surface of the fruit body has a fuzzy or fibrous texture that often supports the growth of algae, bryophytes, or vascular plants.
This article lists the largest organisms for various types of life and mostly considers extant species, which found on Earth can be determined according to various aspects of an organism's size, such as: mass, volume, area, length, height, or even genome size. Some organisms group together to form a superorganism, but such are not classed as single large organisms. The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest structure composed of living entities, stretching 2,000 km (1,200 mi) but contains many organisms of many types of species.
Hebeloma aminophilum, commonly known as the ghoul fungus, is a species of mushroom in the family Hymenogastraceae. Found in Western Australia, it gets its common name from the propensity of the fruiting bodies to spring out of decomposing animal remains.
Mycena haematopus, commonly known as the bleeding fairy helmet, the burgundydrop bonnet, or the bleeding Mycena, is a species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae, of the order Agaricales. It is widespread and common in Europe and North America, and has also been collected in old Japan and Venezuela. It is saprotrophic—meaning that it obtains nutrients by consuming decomposing organic matter—and the fruit bodies appear in small groups or clusters on the decaying logs, trunks, and stumps of deciduous trees, particularly beech. The fungus, first described scientifically in 1799, is classified in the section Lactipedes of the genus Mycena, along with other species that produce a milky or colored latex.
Geastrum triplex is a fungus found in the detritus and leaf litter of hardwood forests around the world. It is commonly known as the collared earthstar, the saucered earthstar, or the triple earthstar—and less commonly by the alternative species name Geastrum indicum. It is the largest member of the genus Geastrum and expanded mature specimens can reach a tip-to-tip length of up to 12 centimeters.
Armillaria ostoyae is a species of fungus (mushroom), pathogenic to trees, in the family Physalacriaceae. In the western United States, it is the most common variant of the group of species under the name Armillaria mellea. A. ostoyae is common on both hardwood and conifer wood in forests west of the Cascade Range in Oregon, United States. It has decurrent gills and the stipe has a ring. The mycelium invades the sapwood and is able to disseminate over great distances under the bark or between trees in the form of black rhizomorphs ("shoestrings"). In most areas of North America, Armillaria ostoyae can be separated from other species by its physical features: cream-brown colors, prominent cap scales, and a well-developed stem ring distinguish it from other Armillaria. Like several other Armillaria, the mycelium of Armillaria ostoyae can display bioluminescence, resulting in foxfire.
Phellinus ellipsoideus is a species of polypore fungus in the family Hymenochaetaceae, a specimen of which produced the largest fungal fruit body ever recorded. Found in China, the fruit bodies produced by the species are brown, woody basidiocarps that grow on dead wood, where the fungus feeds as a saprotroph. The basidiocarps are perennial, allowing them to grow very large under favourable circumstances. They are resupinate, measuring 30 centimetres (12 in) or more in length, though typically extending less than a centimetre from the surface of the wood. P. ellipsoideus produces distinct ellipsoidal spores, after which it is named, and unusual setae. These two features allow it to be readily differentiated microscopically from other, similar species. Chemical compounds isolated from the species include several steroidal compounds. These may have pharmacological applications, but further research is needed.