This is one of the largest edible tree mushrooms found in nature, and certainly the largest in Europe. Various sources describe the mushroom as common, but I encounter it extremely rarely, mostly in the same location each year.
This time, I was surprised by the sheer number of growths in one place—there were about a dozen of them. When the mushroom reaches its final size, the place will look otherworldly.
Its size can be impressive. The mushroom's lobes, gathered into a giant flower, can reach up to 100 cm in diameter and weigh several dozen kilograms. A specimen found in Spain in 2019 weighed 68.8 kg.
The mushroom prefers shaded locations, even in complete darkness. This one was growing in a dense beech forest, where sunlight barely reached and humidity was quite high, despite the lack of rain.
Certain elements, details, and the mushroom's structure are impossible to see in dim daylight, so I took several photos using a flash to better illustrate its structure.
Black-staining polypore is edible when young. This site produced mainly young fruiting bodies, which are edible and very tasty. They are prepared similarly to cutlets: breaded in egg, breadcrumbs, or flour and fried in fat.
