A giant fungus growing on the side of Mount Beckworth is not rare, but much of its life is still a mystery, says a leading mycologist at Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria (RBGV).
The fungi were discovered by two hikers on the geological landmark near Clunes on Monday. Described as being much like a turtle's shell and 'the size of a small coffee table', the orange and brown-hued fungi were spread under eucalyptus growing on the hillside.
Senior research scientist in mycology at the RBGV Tom May says the fungus is the Giant Bolete, Phlebopus marginatus.
Known as Salmon Gum Mushroom in West Australia, the species is spread throughout the tropics and sub-tropics.
One example collected in Victoria weighed a whopping 29 kilograms, and records have measured 60 centimetre diameters of some specimen's caps. One seen in Clunes on Monday measured 55cm.
"It always attracts attention due to the large size," says Tom May.
"It is a native fungus, and seems to prefer grassy areas near Eucalyptus trees. It is always associated with native vegetation of some sort.
"What you can see is the sporing body - producing millions of tiny spores in the tubes on the underside. The feeding body of the fungus will be a fine network of threads in the soil, which must be very extensive to produce such a large sporing body.
"Other kinds of boletes form mutually beneficial relationships with plants called mycorrhizas (derived from ancient Greek for fungus+root). However, in the case of the Giant Bolete, it is not clear how the fungus is feeding. Similar species overseas form a relationship with aphids that attack the roots of plants. There is much to learn about our native fungi!"
Tom May recommends people interested in fungi refer to Fungimap, a mapping scheme for Australian fungi, focussing on distinctive species such as Giant Bolete.
Fungimap encourages people interested in contributing to distribution and habitat knowledge of fungi and other organisms to post records on iNaturalist (https://www.inaturalist.org/). You can see current distribution records of Giant Bolete in Victoria at: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?locale=en-US&place_id=7830&taxon_id=416311
And for those wondering if the Giant Bolete is edible?
It's described as being safe to eat but rather bland, although so popular in China it is now depleted in the wild.
However, it does have as propensity to be 'maggot-ridden' according to Australian experts, which might make potential chefs think twice.
