The World’s Largest Edible Mushroom Lives in Symbiosis with Termites and That’s Why It Grows So Huge

Most edible mushrooms are relatively small, but in West Africa as well as Zambia, there’s one particularly enormous species that outgrows all the rest of them.

Termitomyces titanicus. A rather fitting name for such a huge species. Image credit: Danny Newman
In Zambia, where mushroom-gathering is an important part of life, the Termitomyces titanicus is especially held in high regard. While the largest fungus (and organism) in the world is of the genus Armillaria and is currently consuming Oregon on 1,000 hectares, Termitomyces titanicus is the world’s largest edible mushroom, with a cap that can measure a little more than three feet (one meter) across.

Interestingly, this giant mushroom species was unknown to Western science prior to 1980, despite its size and the fact it was a common item in native markets.