KUNMING -- A giant mushroom has been discovered in Southwest China's Yunnan province, authorities said Sunday.

The mushroom was found next in the Pu'er Sun-River National Park in Pu'er city. It has a circumference of 1.8 meters and weighs 8 kilograms, according to staff at the park.

"Half of it was covered by leaves and the other half was in the air," said a staff. "It had different layers, and appeared brown. It had many wrinkles."

The mushroom is the biggest ever discovered in the region. Mycologists say that it is not edible.

"I have been living here for more than 40 years, but I have never seen anything quite like this before!" said a local villager.

The park is at the transitional area of tropical zone and subtropical zone, and it boasts a variety of plants and wildlife.