“
Unaware that this
was even in the works, I determined to investigate how
[a new State Mushroom] had been achieved.
” F
or Texas mycophiles there was a jaw-dropping announcement on June 18, 2021. Texas Governor Abbott signed legislation enshrining a fungus, Chorioactis
geaster—the Texas Star, aka the Devil’s Cigar—as the official State Mushroom of Texas, making Texas only the third state to recognize the fungal kingdom, joining Minnesota (Morchella esculenta) and Oregon (Cantharellus formosus). Unaware that this was even in the works, I determined to investigate how it had been achieved. Te idea was to provide a broad road map for other states to follow, lessons learned, key elements for success, and a list of dos and don’ts.
Te expectation was for a traditional organizational approach: local society spawns the idea, committees are formed, people work diligently but intermittently for ages, contacts are recruited, legislators are wooed, sponsors are found who will shepherd the proposal. It dies in one of the houses, and is either resubmitted until finally a bill gets passed or people give up the quest. A very different scenario was uncovered. It was largely a one-person endeavor by an individual endowed
with an important skill set—outstanding communication and planning abilities, commitment, passion and persistence. It was not a committee or consensus-driven project. A few members of the local mushroom society contributed some assistance and occasional cheerleading. For privacy reasons, the pseudonym “Cy” will be used for the person who guided this process. Texas mushroom societies have had a fitful history, with the
Gulf States Mycological Society still carrying the flag. Te most recent effort to begin a group was in the Austin/San Antonio/ San Marcos area in 2019. Early in their gestation as the Central Texas Mycological Society (CTMS) they chose the Texas Star mushroom as their logo. An informal “meetup” group (Texas Wild Mushrooming Group) has also been around for some years, teaching locals basic fungal biology, mushroom taxonomy and conducting forays in the Austin area. Cy, an avid naturalist, is a member of this group, leading some forays. While passionate about fungi, she has wide ranging interests about the natural
world, including botany, ornithology and entomology. While driving through Oregon and Washington
hunting for Matsutake, and having to fill out all the paperwork now required for mushroom foraging, Cy learned that Oregon had an official state mushroom, which led her to question whether Texas had one. She was already aware of the Texas Star (Chorioactis geaster), having first found it herself in 1996 (https://
mushroomobserver.org/260872?q=1heR4), and thought this fungus was tailor-made for Texas statehood. When sporulating, it often splits into a five-sided star. It is confined to a narrow swath of Texas, from San Antonio up through the central portion of the state and has had the temerity to sneak into Oklahoma. A similar population has been described in Japan and this curious disjunct is still under investigation. Cy mentioned the idea to some members of the
CTMS, garnering interest, but no commitment or solid expertise in the legislative world. CTMS is still a young
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