The transformation of a Devil’s cigar mushroom into a Texas star (with a butterfly visitor). Photos by Angel Schatz
Chorioactis geaster is a strange, rare fungus that has only been found in three places on Earth: Japan, Taiwan, and right here in the Lone Star State. If the Latin name is too much of a mouthful, you can call the official State Mushroom of Texas by one of its more common names: Texas star or Devil’s cigar.
The Highland Lakes area is a hotbed of Texas star activity, particularly at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet County, where the famous fungus sprouts sporadically in the fall, winter, and spring.
While it can be found as far north as the Texas-Oklahoma border and as far east as Houston, the mushroom has a stronghold in Central Texas. The first-ever specimen of the star/cigar was described in 1893 in Austin.
The mushroom gets its nicknames from its shape and behavior as it grows.
It first emerges from an underground fungal network as a long, brown, cigar-like tube. When it reaches maturity, and with the help of humidity, it splits at the top and emits a quiet hiss and a cloud of spores that resemble cigar smoke. Hence the moniker Devil’s cigar.
After the “smoke,” it slowly—over eight to 12 hours—unfolds into a star shape. Hence the name Texas star.
“There aren’t many mushrooms that hiss and shoot spores,” said Angel Schatz, programming director for the Central Texas Mycological Society. “To me, it kind of sounds like you’re opening a soda bottle.”
Schatz is a self-described mycophile (fungi lover) who has been studying the mushrooms of Central Texas since 2019. She first became aware of the Devil’s cigar when she joined the Mycological Society. The group even has the rare mushroom built into its logo.
She is now an amateur expert on the ’shroom, leading guided hikes for the society and at one time working alongside a Texas Monthly film crew to find Devil’s cigars in Inks Lake State Park.
“We see (the stars/cigars) in Texas right around the first cold snap and maybe through March or spring,” she said. “Inks Lake is such a nice place to go on a walk. Get on the Devil’s Backbone Trail, look for stumps, and you’ll find (the mushrooms) right after a rain.”
Inks Lake State Park, 3630 Park Road 4 West near Burnet, is one of the most popular Texas State Parks. Coincidentally, the Devil’s cigar is prolific on the Devil’s Backbone Trail, which leads to the popular Devil’s Waterhole. According to Schatz, the park is a consistently good spot to spot the fiendish fungus, if you know what to look for.
In Texas, the Devil’s cigar grows only on the stumps or in the roots of the cedar elm tree. While that tree is also common to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana, Texas is the only state where the mushroom has been found.
A further baffling fact is the fungus grows on decaying oak trees in Japan and Taiwan, which didn’t discover it until 2023.
According to Schatz, the mushroom’s genetic history is a mystery, and science is still searching for the reason behind its vastly separated populations.
The presence of stars and cigars in the Highland Lakes is miraculous, but for Inks Lake State Park officials, it can be a double-edged sword.
“Some mushroom seekers can have their enthusiasm grow a little too much so that they forget ethical nature practices,” said Park Ranger Jamie Langham in an emailed response to questions from this reporter. “During the height of ‘mushroom mania,’ we often have to remind visitors of ‘leave no trace rules,’ such as staying on the trail, respecting others’ campsites, and—rarely—to not pick or remove plants or other resources from the park.”
Langham said it is sometimes challenging from an enforcement perspective to have the rare fungus on her watch, but she expressed appreciation for the value it brings to visitors.
“While (effectively protecting the mushroom) is a returning quandary, we are happy to increase the awareness of this mushroom and our other rare plants to help our visitors understand the value of State Parks for current and future generations of Texans,” she said.
The Texas star became the official State Mushroom of Texas in 2021, making it one of only seven state mushrooms in the United States as of this month.
Schatz recommends that Texans see their flagship fungus in person.
“Appreciate it the same way you would any other organisms, like the bluebonnet,” she said. “Because fungi are so hidden in our ecosystem, it’s really easy not to notice them. It really requires a lot of slowing down, and everybody needs that these days.”
