Sarah Brown
Giant mushrooms are not only possible but they have existed in the past and continue to exist today. The largest known organism on Earth is a fungus—specifically, a honey mushroom located in Oregon's Blue Mountains. This fungus covers 965 hectares of soil, which is the equivalent of 1,665 football fields or nearly four square miles. It is believed to be between 2,400 and 8,650 years old. In addition, there are several other giant mushroom species, including the termite mound mushroom in Africa, which is bigger than most humans, and the giant puffball, which can be too large to fit in a wheelbarrow. While giant mushrooms still exist today, they are not as common as they once were due to habitat destruction, mushroom pickers, and competition from trees, which block sunlight and smother other plant life with their leaves.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Are giant mushrooms possible? | Yes, they exist. |
| Largest mushroom ever found | Armillaria ostoyae, found in Oregon's Blue Mountains in 1998. |
| Size of the largest mushroom ever found | Occupies 2,384 acres (965 hectares) of soil, which is nearly four square miles (10 square kilometers) of turf. |
| Weight of the largest mushroom ever found | 200 tons |
| Age of the largest mushroom ever found | Estimated to be 2,400 years old, could be as ancient as 8,650 years. |
| Other giant mushrooms | Armillaria bulbosa/gallica, found in 1992 in Michigan; Boletus edulis, found in Oregon; termite mound mushroom, found in Africa; giant puffball, found in Oregon. |
| Size of other giant mushrooms | Armillaria bulbosa/gallica occupies 37 acres (15 hectares); Boletus edulis is the size of 5-gallon buckets; termite mound mushroom is bigger than a lot of humans; some giant puffball specimens won't fit in a wheelbarrow. |
| Weight of other giant mushrooms | Armillaria bulbosa/gallica weighs 10.5 tons (9,525 kilograms). |
| Ancient giant mushrooms | Prototaxites, which existed during the Silurian and Devonian periods, was 24 feet (8m) tall and 3 feet (1m) wide. |
| Reason for the existence of giant mushrooms in the past | They had a massive amount of carbon to consume in the form of cellulose, which provided them with the energy to grow to such sizes. |
| Reason for the absence of giant mushrooms today | Habitat destruction, mushroom pickers, and competition from trees are some of the reasons why giant mushrooms are not as common today. |
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What You'll Learn
The largest mushrooms ever found
Giant mushrooms do exist, and some are larger than blue whales and dinosaurs! The largest mushrooms ever found are the Armillaria ostoyae, also known as the "humongous fungus" or honey mushroom, which was discovered in Oregon's Blue Mountains in 1998. This giant fungus occupies about 2,384 acres (965 hectares) or 2,200 acres (910 hectares) of soil, covering nearly four square miles (10 square kilometres) of turf. It is estimated to be 2,400 years old and may be as ancient as 8,650 years old.
The Armillaria ostoyae is a pathogenic species of fungus in the Physalacriaceae family. It has decurrent gills, and the stipe has a ring. The mycelium invades the sapwood of trees and can spread over great distances under the bark or between trees in the form of black rhizomorphs ("shoestrings"). This species grows and spreads primarily underground, so the bulk of the organism is not visible from the surface. In the autumn, the subterranean parts of the organism bloom honey mushrooms as surface fruits.
The Armillaria ostoyae in Oregon is believed to be the largest known organism, weighing in at 35,000 tons. However, a specimen of Armillaria ostoyae in northern Michigan, United States, originated from spores of a parent fungus in Ontario, Canada, and grew to a mass of 440 tons (4 x 105 kg), making it the equivalent in weight of three blue whales. This specimen covers 38% of the estimated land area of the Oregon "humongous fungus" at 3.5 square miles (9.1 square kilometres) or 2,240 acres (910 hectares).
Another notable mention is the Armillaria bulbosa, later renamed Armillaria gallica, discovered in 1992 in the hardwood forests near Crystal Falls, Michigan. This fungus covers 37 acres (15 hectares) and is celebrated annually at a "fungus fest" in Crystal Falls.
In addition to these modern giants, Prototaxites, a possible giant fungus, was collected in 1843 and studied by Canadian scientist J.W. Dawson, who described it as partially rotten giant conifers containing the remains of fungi. In 2001, Francis Hueber published a paper arguing that Prototaxites was a fungus, a claim supported by further evidence, including isotopic analyses.
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Why giant mushrooms became extinct
Giant mushrooms, specifically Prototaxites, became extinct in the Late Devonian period as vascular plants rose to prominence. There are several theories as to why this occurred.
One theory speculates that giant mushrooms were outcompeted in their niche by plants. This theory is supported by the discovery of boreholes in Prototaxites fossils, which suggest that organisms may have transferred to plants when they evolved. Additionally, the fossil record shows evidence of animals inhabiting Prototaxites, with mazes of tubes and the fungus re-growing into the voids, which could have contributed to their extinction.
Another theory suggests that giant mushrooms were hunted to extinction, although it is unclear by whom or what. It is worth noting that giant mushrooms disappeared millions of years before the evolution of hominids. Habitat destruction and mushroom pickers are also possible factors in their extinction, as well as their inability to compete with other species and survive mass extinction events.
The extinction of giant mushrooms is a topic that requires further research, as our understanding of their ecology and biology is limited. However, it is clear that multiple factors, including competition, habitat destruction, and human activity, contributed to their disappearance.
Today, there are still mushroom species that can grow to over a meter in height, but they rarely do so due to similar environmental pressures.
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Giant mushrooms today
Giant mushrooms do exist today, though they are not as common as they once were. In 1992, a team of researchers discovered a colony of honey mushrooms in Michigan that weighed 10.5 tons and stretched across 37 acres. This discovery trumped previous records for the world's largest organism. Each individual cap is genetically identical to all the others, and the mushrooms are in communication with each other via their rhizomorphs, sharing resources and working towards a common purpose. This particular species of mushroom is called Armillaria bulbosa, later renamed Armillaria gallica, and is celebrated annually at a "fungus fest" in Crystal Falls, Michigan.
Another giant mushroom, Armillaria ostoyae, was discovered in Oregon's Blue Mountains in 1998. This fungus occupies 2,384 acres of soil and is believed to be the largest known organism, even larger than the blue whale. Based on its growth rate, it is estimated to be 2,400 years old but could be as old as 8,650 years.
While these discoveries are impressive, it is important to note that giant mushrooms were even more common in the past. One example is the fungus Prototaxites, which towered more than 24 feet over most land plants of the Silurian Period and was three feet wide. Prototaxites fed on a range of substrates, such as decaying trees and other plant matter, and had a massive amount of carbon to consume. However, the pools of carbon that supported the growth of giant mushrooms are now gone, and mushrooms have since evolved to work in symbiotic relationships with trees and grasses, which provide sugars in exchange for metals.
Today, there are still some species of mushrooms that can grow to be quite large, such as the Boletus edulis in Oregon, which can be the size of 5-gallon buckets, and the termite mound mushroom in Africa, which is bigger than a lot of humans. However, habitat destruction and mushroom pickers have contributed to the decline in the number of giant mushrooms.
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How giant mushrooms reproduced
Giant mushrooms, or fungi, are possible and have existed in the past. A fossil dug up in Saudi Arabia revealed that a fungus called Prototaxites towered more than 24 feet (8m) over most land plants during the Silurian Period. It was as much as three feet (1m) wide. Prototaxites is believed to have been a complex fungal rhizomorph, exhibiting a varied growth pattern, including horizontal and subterranean expansion.
The largest living mushroom species is Armillaria solidipes, also known as Armillaria ostoyae. It is believed to be the second-largest living organism on Earth, covering some 965 hectares of soil in Oregon's Blue Mountains, which is nearly four square miles (10 square kilometres) of turf. This giant mushroom was discovered in 1998 and is estimated to be 2,400 years old, with some estimates placing it as ancient as 8,650 years old.
All fungi in the Armillaria genus are known as honey mushrooms due to the yellow-capped and sweet fruiting bodies they produce. The very first massive fungus discovered in 1992 was Armillaria bulbosa, later renamed Armillaria gallica, which covered 37 acres (15 hectares).
While the method of reproduction of Prototaxites remains unknown, research team member Carol Hotton has speculated that the giant size of the fungus may have been a reproductive strategy to spread its spores over wider distances.
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Giant mushrooms in popular culture
Mushrooms have been represented in popular culture for as long as we have records. They are often used as a tool to help or hinder the heroes of stories. Here are some notable examples of mushrooms in popular culture:
Smurfs
Since their first comic was released in 1958, the Smurfs have become an iconic part of popular culture. The Smurfs are small, blue creatures that live in a village made up of hollowed-out mushrooms.
The Last of Us
Naughty Dog's 2013 video game, The Last of Us, features zombie survival horror. The game received high acclaim for its storytelling, graphics, and innovative gameplay.
Alice in Wonderland
In Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Alice eats strange cookies and drinks mysterious potions that shrink her to the size of an insect. To return to her normal size, she must eat bites from a mushroom. The first bite makes her grow taller than a tree, while the second bite shrinks her back down.
Fantasia
The Nutcracker Suite in Fantasia features a dance by mushrooms where the caps are stylized to look like douli, traditional Asian conical hats often worn by rice farmers.
D&D
D&D has mushroom-based monsters like the violet fungus, which moves slowly around caverns and attacks with poison spores, and the shrieker, a human-sized mushroom that screeches when approached.
In addition to these examples, mushrooms with psychoactive properties have long been used in various native medicine traditions and rituals worldwide. Amanita muscaria, for instance, has been proposed to be the soma mentioned in the Rigveda of India. It has also been speculated that the flying reindeer of Santa Claus, called Joulupukki in Finland, could symbolize the use of A. muscaria by Sami shamans.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, giant mushrooms are possible and have existed in the past. A fungus called Prototaxites that existed during the Silurian Period is said to have towered more than 24 feet (8m) over most land plants and was as much as three feet (1m) wide.
Giant mushrooms existed because there was a massive amount of carbon to feed on in the form of cellulose. Now that these pools of carbon are gone, it is easier for mushrooms to work in symbiotic relationships with trees and grasses than to grow giant.
Giant mushrooms have been discovered in various locations, including Oregon's Blue Mountains, Michigan, and Saudi Arabia.
In 1998, a giant Armillaria ostoyae was discovered in Oregon's Blue Mountains. It occupies about 2,384 acres (965 hectares) of soil and is believed to be the largest known organism in the world.
