- A very bizarre fungus appeared in Texas this winter
- The Texas star mushroom is unique because of its hissing sound
- Texas stars are so special that Governor Greg Abbot named them the official state mushroom
A very strange mushroom that hisses has appeared in Texas – the only other such species is found only in Japan.
Because of their star-shaped shape and their origin in Texas, the mushrooms are known as “Texas Stars.”
Chorioactis geaster is the Latin name for the unique mushroom that hisses audibly when it releases its spores.
“It sounds like someone opening a bottle of soda or something like a snake hissing,” said Angel Schatz, a volunteer with the Austin-based Central Texas Mycological Society.
“The spores are large and scientists believe their size has something to do with the sound they make,” Schatz said.
Texas stars are a very strange mushroom that appeared in Texas – the only other such species is found exclusively in Japan
“It sounds like someone opening a bottle of soda or something like a snake hissing,” said Angel Schatz, a volunteer with the Austin-based Central Texas Mycological Society (pictured).
The strange toadstools have appeared at the Zilker Botanical Garden in Austin – and Schatz has identified one of the leathery, dark orange mushrooms sprouting from a tree stump.
While the mushrooms are known as “Texas Stars” in the United States, they are called Kirinomitake in Japan.
“Texas is only one of three states that has an official state mushroom, and we are pleased that the Texas Star has received this honor,” Schatz said.
The fruity body grows on the stumps or dead logs of cedar elms in Texas or dead oak trees in Japan.
Texas Stars have been appropriately named the official state mushroom of Texas.
The bill to officially give the hissing mushroom the award was filed in 2021 by former House Representative Ben Leman and later signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbot.
“The mushroom is a poignant reminder of the natural diversity that surrounds us,” Leman wrote in his 2021 resolution.
“The Texas star mushroom is as unusual and striking as the state in which it is native, and indeed it deserves special recognition.”
When the Texas Star emerges from the ground as a three- to four-inch cylindrical pod, it resembles a cigar – hence another name for the fungus is “Devil's Cigar.”
“The spores are large, and scientists believe their size has something to do with the sound they make,” Schatz said of the mushrooms
When conditions are perfect, the fungus undergoes a process called dehiscence, in which the structure splits apart.
“It will open into a three- to eight-pointed star,” Schatz explained.
“It’s a very cool mushroom that we have as the state mushroom,” she continued.
“We love all mushrooms.” “We think they're all magical, especially this one,” Schatz told KXAN Austin.