Humongous Fungus - Armillaria solidipes
*Tentative ID
This species is known to be one of the largest living organisms! Scientists have estimated a single specimen that was found in Oregon to be 2,400 years old, covering 3.4 square miles (2,200 acres; 8.8 km2)! So, it has been nicknamed the "Humongous Fungus". The fungus grows and spreads primarily underground. Hence, the organism is invisible above ground. In the autumn, it fruits mushrooms.
Habitat: Deciduous forest
''Armillaria solidipes'' is a species of plant pathogenic fungus in the Physalacriaceae family. It is the most common variant in the western U.S., of the group of species that all used to share the name ''Armillaria mellea''. ''Armillaria ostoyae'' is quite common on both hardwood and conifer wood in forests west of the Cascade crest.
