A South Korean farmer found a giant mushroom while cutting grass

A 73-year-old man named Seo Ki-seok saw a mushroom weighing about 2kg when he was cutting grass in Hongseong City, Chungcheongnam-do Province.

At first, the man thought it was an egg. But soon specialists who were interested in the find, found out that it is a giant tadpole (Calvatia gigantea). This species grows in fields, meadows, margins of deciduous and mixed forests.

This mushroom can be 0.5 metres in diameter and weigh 4 kg. A young specimen can be eaten without fear, but the ripe flesh, which has acquired a yellow colour, can provoke digestive problems. It is believed that this mushroom accelerates blood clotting.