This 2,400 Year Old Mushroom Is The Largest Living Organism On The Planet

Nature's surprises for us are countless. The largest living thing on Earth is a mushroom: Armillaria Ostoyae. It covers an area of ​​890 hectares, most of its mass is underground and is therefore unknown. Its age is estimated between 2400 years and 8000 years.That’s one giant mushroom, folks! It’s not the Blue Whale. In fact, it has a total weight of more than 20 Blue Whales, and here’s a hint: Alice would be proud.

Armillaria root disease can cause undesired growth loss and tree mortality. On the Eastside and in southwestern Oregon, armillaria root disease may create large openings where highly susceptible species die before attaining large size. Ground fire severity may increase as a result of the abundant down wood in infection areas. Trees killed by armillaria root disease may pose safety hazards because they are predisposed to tree failure. The fruiting bodies of armillaria ostoyae / via National Geographic