Aspropaxillus giganteus

Aspropaxillus giganteus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Agaricales
Family: incertae sedis
Genus: Aspropaxillus
Species:
A. giganteus
Binomial name
Aspropaxillus giganteus
(Sowerby) Kühner & Maire (1934)
Synonyms
  • Agaricus giganteus Sowerby (1799)
  • Clitocybe gigantea (Sowerby) Quél. (1872)
  • Paxillus giganteus (Sowerby) Fr. (1874)
  • Omphalia geotropa var. gigantea (Sowerby) Quél. (1886)
  • Leucopaxillus giganteus (Sowerby) Singer (1939)
Aspropaxillus giganteus
Mycological characteristics
Gills on hymenium
Cap is infundibuliform or flat
Hymenium is decurrent
Stipe is bare
Spore print is white
Ecology is saprotrophic
Edibility is edible but not recommended

Aspropaxillus giganteus, formerly Leucopaxillus giganteus, commonly known as the giant leucopax (formerly as the giant clitocybe) or the giant funnel, is a saprobic species of fungus in the order Agaricales. As its common names imply, the fruit body, or mushroom, can become quite large—the cap reaches diameters of up to 50 cm (20 in). It has a white or pale cream cap, and is funnel-shaped when mature, with the gills running down the length of the stem.

The species has a cosmopolitan distribution and is typically found growing in groups or rings in grassy pastures, roadside hedges, or woodland clearings. It is considered by some to be a choice edible when young, and has been shown to contain a bioactive compound with antibiotic properties.