Mushroom hunting is a popular activity in Oregon. You can find them in many places all over the state, and some restaurants, like this one in Dayton, even specialize in dishes that contain wild mushrooms. The Beaver State is also home to the world's largest fungus - one organism that's said to be the largest in the world by area. Have you heard of Humongous Fungus? It's the world's largest mushroom... and naturally, it's in Oregon!
To find the world's largest fungus, look to the Blue Mountains of the Malheur National Forest. Deep in the woods, you'll find Armillaria ostoyae (also called Armillaria solipides). Scientists have nicknamed it "Humongous Fungus."
Armillaria is a kind of mushroom, and this particular fungus covers an area of 3.7 square miles. DNA tests show that the mushrooms you see spread over this large area all belong to one organism.
That's possible because the fungus spreads with these tentacles known as rhizomorphs, or shoestrings. The rhizomorphs branch out far and wide from one cluster to another. Similar in some ways to tree roots, they can be up to 30 feet long.
The Armillaria found here in Oregon is said to weigh as much as 35,000 tons, and is thought to be around 8,000 years old. The organism spreads just one to three feet every year, so it definitely took thousands of years for it to spread out over 3.7 square miles.
For most of the year, if you visit Humongous Fungus, you won't see any mushrooms (they develop over a short, two-week period every fall). Most of the time, you'll find trees covered with a thin, white layer of goo that looks and feels similar to paint. The fungus attaches to trees and permeates their bark and roots.
Once it attacks a tree, Armillaria eventually kills it. In this part of the forest, you can see the devastation. While scientists have tried to find ways to stop the spread of this huge fungus, they haven't come up with anything that works very well.
Armillaria ostoyae can be found in a few other places in the world, including Michigan and Germany, but Oregon's Humongous Fungus is the largest.
The mushrooms that appear every fall are also called honey mushrooms, and they are edible.
Did you know the world's largest fungus could be found in Oregon? How cool! Would you like to pick your own mushrooms? If so, here's a state park that has plenty, and it even offers tours with a ranger.
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