BT: [[fungi]] / [[parasitic fungi]] / [[saprotrophic fungi]] --- # *Armillaria* (genus) *Armillaria* fungi are among the largest organisms in the world.[^1] The largest known specimen (an *A. ostoyae*) covers more than 8.8 km² in [[Oregon]], [[USA]], and is somewhere between 2,000 and 8,000 years old.[^2] Some species of *Armillaria* display [[bioluminescence]].[^3] *Armillaria* fungi can be a destructive forest pathogen as ‘white rot’ root disease. While feeding on dead plant material, *Armillaria* can kill their host with little negative effect to themselves.[^4] (See also: [[parasitic fungi]].) [^1]: Sheldrake, *[[Sheldrake, Entangled Life, 2021|Entangled Life]]*, p. 4. [^2]: Sheldrake, *[[Sheldrake, Entangled Life, 2021|Entangled Life]]*, p. 4; ‘Armillaria’, Wikipedia, last edited 4 April 2026, 22:33 (UTC), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria). [^3]: ‘Armillaria’, Wikipedia, last edited 4 April 2026, 22:33 (UTC), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria). [^4]: ‘Armillaria’, Wikipedia, last edited 4 April 2026, 22:33 (UTC), [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria).