Armillaria solipides, also known as Honey Mushrooms grow in the northwest of USA They belong in the Physalacriaceae family. It is a common mushroom in the hardwood and conifers.
Their mycelium invades the sapwood and it's capable of traveling long distances using a black rhizome like structure, some people call them "shoestrings"
It's easily distinguished from other species in the family by physical features.
Its brown colors, and fairly prominent scales and the well developed ring on its stem differentiate it from other Armillaria mushrooms.
It is known to be one of the largest single living organisms.
In Oregon state, scientist found a 2,400 year old specimen covering 8.4 square kilometers most of the body is underground. Only during the Autumn the blooms of Honey mushrooms appear. It seems that low competition for land and nutrients allowed this unique growth.
It is said that possibly it covers more space on earth than any other living organism. It is debatable weather it is a single organism or not.
Some test indicate the same genetic makeup has been found in extremely distant mycelia but unless fully connected, they're consider to be clones of numerous smaller individuals .
On the picture below we see what the fruiting body looks like:
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| Armillaria solidipes or Honey mushrooms in the Physalacriaceae family. |
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