Salmon gum mushroom

A species of Phlebopus

Possibly Australia's largest terrestrial mushroom, Phlebopus marginatus produces fruit bodies that can reach huge proportions. The weight of one specimen from western Victoria recorded at 29 kg (64 pounds). John Burton Cleland reported finding specimens with a cap diameter of 60 cm (24 in), weighing over 70 pounds (32 kg). The cap is convex to flat, occasionally with a depressed centre. It is brown to olive and covered in fine hair. Records between countries vary as to the colour change on cutting or bruising of flesh, with those of Western Australia indicating no change, while New Zealand and Indonesian collections are reported to have some bluish discoloration on bruising at the top of the stem. The spores are yellow-brown. Mature specimens are very attractive to insects and often infested with them.