Rare hissing mushroom resurfaces in Burnet County state park
BURNET COUNTY, Texas - Did you know the state of Texas has an official state mushroom, and you can see it right here in Central Texas?
Inks Lake State Park in Burnet County recently shared pictures of the Texas Star mushroom (Chorioactis geaster), which was spotted in the park earlier this week.
The rare mushroom was officially designated the state mushroom on July 22, 2021. Only two other states, Minnesota and Oregon, have official state mushrooms.
The mushroom was first collected in Austin 130 years ago in 1893.
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The fungus mainly grows on decaying cedar elm stumps in 16 counties in central and northern Texas, according to the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. It has also been spotted in Oklahoma and across the world near Kyushu, Japan.
The mushroom appears in late fall, as it emerges as a dark brown, fuzzy capsule about three to four inches in length, which inspired its nickname the Devil's Cigar. As it unfurls into its star shape, it releases a hissing noise and a hazy cloud of spores.
TPWD officials say the mushroom is not poisonous, but it is not edible either.