The name comes from the region’s ancient Dian Kingdom and the Chinese pronunciation of the word “fungus.” D. rex is a type of Ascomycete, which is the largest phylum of fungi with over 64,000 known species, and among them, this new fungus produces the largest masses of mushroom recorded. Unlike what we typically think of as a “mushroom,” Ascomycetes don’t form caps and stems but produce structures called fruiting bodies, which release spores to reproduce.