WORLD’S BIGGEST MUSHROOM

Curious Question #1:Is the puffball mushroom I saw abnormally big or is this normal?

What I did: Image Search on Google: puffball mushroom

It led me to…

BBC News - Monster mushroom found in field

A giant mushroom measuring four times the size of a football has been found by a couple in Aberdeenshire. The unusual find, discovered growing in a field, measures 3ft long and weighs about 9kg. Scientists have identified the mushroom as a gigantic puff-ball (Calvatia Gigantea), a variety of the fungi rarely found in Scotland. Ian Wakley, who found the mushroom, said he wanted to eat it but his wife Judith would not let him. He said: "At first I thought it was a giant football. "I wanted to take it home, fry it in butter and eat it, but my wife thought differently. "It is huge - at least three or four times the size of a football." Mrs Wakley added: "I've never seen anything like it before - it was like a gigantic pumpkin. "It was so big and astonishing to see. Our children compared it to a giant cauliflower. "I've been told that you can eat them - the bigger they are the less tasty they are. "Apparently the huge ones are full of spores and don't taste as good as the small ones." The couple have handed their mushroom over to scientists at the University of Aberdeen. Fungi expert Dr. David Genney revealed that it was common to find the mushroom in England rather than Scotland. But he added: "It's an amazing size - you don't come across these everyday. "A 9kg mushroom is a pretty big one. "I can't say if it is record or not but it would be interesting to find out."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3839363.stmPublished: 2004/06/26 09:25:20 GMT

Curious Question #2:

Is the Calvatia Gigantea (Puffball) the world’s largest mushroom?

Alice remained looking thoughtfully at the mushroom for a minute, trying to make out which were the two sides of it; and as it was perfectly round, she found this a very difficult question. However, at last she stretched her arms round it as far as they would go, and broke off a bit of the edge with each hand.

Chapter V - Advice from a Caterpillar

Alice in Wonderland

Research PathSearch Method: Google

Search Terms: world’s largest mushroom

1) Independent.co.ukOregon’s Monster Mushroom is World’s Biggest Living Thinghttp://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/oregons-monster-mushroom-is-worlds-biggest-living-thing-710278.html

2) ZenZoneForum.comOregon’s Monster Mushroom is World’s Biggest Living Thinghttp://www.zenzoneforum.com/threads/17750-Oregon-s-monster-mushroom-is-world-s-biggest-living-organism

3) Infoplease.comFormidable Fungus is World’s Largest Organismhttp://www.infoplease.com/spot/fungus1.html

4) ABC NEWS.comGiant Mushroom Largest Living Organismhttp://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=120049&page=1

5) Scientific American.comStrange but True: The Largest Organism on Earth is a Mushroomhttp://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-largest-organism-is-fungus

Since I found the Armillaria ostoyae online, can I confirm the info in an academic source?

Search Method: HACC DatabasesSearched Database: Science & Technology (ProQuest)

Search Terms: Armillaria ostoyae and Oregon

6) National Wildlife Biggest Fungus Found Among Ushttp://search.proquest.com/science/docview/217487164/131EDF0572160C9E701/8?accountid=11302

7) Forest Ecology & ManagementArmillaria species distribution on symptomatic hosts in northern hardwood and mixed oak forests in western Massachusetts http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=14&sid=60863117-8712-4e40-b6e8c42a729987f3%40sessionmgr4&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=8gh&AN=43872200

Curious Question #3I wonder what the world’s largest mushroom (Armillaria ostoyae) looks like?

Let’s do an image search again.

This? Or This?

Or This?

As seen on ZenZone.com…who is this? Zengrifter?

It’s also on this site: Unsolved Realm.comGhosts, UFOs, Time Travel, Mysterious Places, Conspiracies, Unsolved Crimes, but it is credited to ZenZone.com! http://www.unsolvedrealm.com/2011/06/30/what-is-the-worlds-largest-living-organism/

Armillaria ostoyae (Honey mushroom)

http://www.science.oregonstate.edu/bpp/BOT415/Root%20Pathogens/Armillariaostoyae.JPG

Who would have “thunk” it?Searching deeper can reveal many surprises.