Giant fungus Dianjunus rex with 50 cm fruiting bodies found in China

Researchers at the Kunming Institute of Botany discovered Dianjunus rex in Yunnan forests, with fruiting bodies up to 50 cm tall and 2.2 kg — the largest known among Ascomycota. The species is placed in a new family, Dianjunaceae, and molecular clock analysis dates its lineage to about 65 million years ago, shortly after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction.

• Fruiting bodies reach 50 cm in height and 2.2 kg in weight
• The species is assigned to a new genus and family, Dianjunaceae
• Its lineage emerged about 65 million years ago, after the dinosaurs died out
• The fungus grows on Chinese cork oak roots in Yunnan