The world’s largest organism is the honey mushroom. Though you may have heard of this fungus, I wonder if you realize just how invasive it is. Researchers took a closer look at the honey mushroom when it was discovered that it was killing off hundreds of evergreen trees in Oregon.

What researchers found when they cut into infected trees was startling. Inside was a white filament called mycelia. This fungus takes carbohydrates and water from trees to feed upon. Scientists took samples of the mycelia and analyzed its DNA. What they found was shocking. The samples they collected were all from one organism, which covered more than 2200 acres of forest. It is estimated that the fungus has been living in Oregon for more than 2400 years.

Previous to the turn of the 21st century, the largest living organism was a fungus of the same species that grew in Washington State. It covered more than 1500 acres, but has now lost its status as record holder. And they say that things grow large in Texas.

By Mary M. Alward