China's Yunnan Province is known as "the kingdom of mushrooms", since there the forests are more than 600 species of edible mushrooms. Recently, there has been found a mushroom of monstrous proportions, the form of which has not yet been defined. The diameter of its cap is 93 cm, and weight - about 15 kg.
Fungi are neither plants nor animals - they are a distinct group of living organisms and reproduce normally spores containing a nucleus with chromosomes. Despite its appearance, the fungus is closer to animals than to plants.
Mushroom industry in China each year brings the state a huge profit, for example, in 2005, the year it was $ 44 million. Some of the most delicious and expensive species of fungi, such as, for example, matsutake that is appreciated in Japan as a delicacy, grow it in Yunnan .
Probably found in China, a giant mushroom is not safe to eat - many species of mushrooms are poisonous. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University believe that hallucinogens contained some "magic mushrooms", could someday help treat a variety of mental disorders, including depression, anxiety and addiction.
It is unknown whether China will find other such mushrooms or mushroom found - an isolated case, but it is not the largest in the world - in 1998, the giant honey agaric dark cave was discovered in the US state of Oregon. Its area - 965 hectares, and was at least 2,400 years.
via factroom.ru