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Mushroom Monday: Texas Star Mushroom (Chorioactis geaster)
Today’s Mushroom Monday mushroom is the Texas Star Mushroom (Chorioactis geaster). It’s the official mushroom of the state of Texas. Learn about this star of the mushroom world in our latest TrueTreeTalk blog post.
What does the Texas Star Mushroom Look Like?
The Texas star mushroom starts out with a ball or cylindrical shape. It’s brown and has hair on the surface. As it matures it opens (called dehiscence) and reveals a star shape. The star starts out whitish in color, then turns a brown/orange, and finally becomes a muted yellow. The mushroom is leathery and smooth on the upper side.
The number of points on the star can vary from generally three to six. In rare instances, there can be more.
When the mushroom has a ball shape, it can be around 5.5 inches high and 2 inches in diameter, and when open as a star, it can be up to around 8 inches across.
Where can Texas Star Mushrooms Be Found?
Generally, Texas star mushrooms can be found in Texas and Japan. They may also be in Taiwan. In Japan they are called kirinomitake.
In Texas, the Texas star mushroom can be found in the central part of the state, for example, in the Austin area. In Texas, they can be found on stumps of trees, particularly cedar elm, and are saprophytic. In Japan they are associated with oaks. They can be found toward the end of fall.
Do Texas Star Mushrooms Hiss?
Texas star mushrooms do hiss. They make this sound when they release their spores en masse. It sounds like a puff of air.
If you liked learning about the Texas star mushroom, check out our other Mushroom Monday posts on our TrueTreeTalk blog. Follow us on Facebook to keep up with these and other posts.
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