In the depths of the forests of Yunnan Province in southwestern China, scientists have discovered an extraordinary organism that manages to surprise even veteran researchers: a giant whitish fungus whose body rises to a height of up to 50 centimeters and weighs 2.2 kilograms. But the impressive dimensions are only the beginning of the story.
The new fungus, which received the scientific name Dianjunus rex, or D-rex for short, was discovered during scientific surveys in the region's forests. It grows on tree roots and displays a large, upright structure unlike the fungi most of us know.
A research team from China, Thailand and Mexico collected samples from the fungus and conducted genetic and morphological tests. The results were particularly surprising: the fungus is not only a new species to science, but also represents a completely new genus and biological family, which received the name Dianjunaceae.
