Giant Honey Mushroom Weighs 33 Pounds (VIDEO)
A giant mushroom has been discovered in China's Yunnan province, which is also known as the "Kingdom of Mushrooms."
The mushroom has not yet been identified but appears to resemble what is called a "honey mushroom" or of the Armillaria genus. The genus is a parasitic fungi that lives on trees and wood shrubs. The "Kingdom of Mushrooms," however, is home to over 600 different kinds of species of mushrooms and honing on exactly what type of mushroom the newly discovered one is may take time.
The newly discovered mushroom weighs about 33 pounds according to Discover News and measures about 33 inches across. The giant mushroom may be one of the largest ever discovered according to Science World Report. It is not clear yet whether the mushroom is edible.
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"I guess this mushroom can be entered into the Guinness World Records," said one woman according to the report as she photographed the beastly sized fungi.
Thousands and thousands of mushrooms are harvested every year from China's Yunan province. In 2005 the sale of mushrooms in the area was estimated at around $44 million according to the Diplomat. Most mushrooms in the "Kingdom of Mushrooms" are edible.
Despite the mass fortune accumulated by the sale of mushrooms in the area, most mushroom farmers only make about $500 a year, according to China's Ministry of Commerce, as reported by CNN in 2011. Other mushrooms that can be found in "Mushroom Kingdom" include white jelly mushrooms, greenhead mushrooms, ganbajun mushrooms and a host of others that are found only in Yunnan.
