A rare star-shaped mushroom has been spotted at a Texas park.
The fungus, known by the Latin name Chorioactis geaster, was discovered along a trail in Inks Lake State Park, Texas Parks and Wildlife shared in a Facebook post.
Texas officially designated Chorioactis geaster as the state's mushroom in June 2021, making it the third state to declare an official mushroom, following Minnesota and Oregon.
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During the late fall season, the fungus pops up as a fuzzy, dark brown capsule about three to four inches in length, inspiring its nickname “Devil’s Cigar.”
“It is said that when the devil’s cigar unfurls, it releases a strange hissing noise and hazy cloud of spores,” park officials said.
As the fungus matures and splits open, it forms a brightly-colored star, giving it another one of its nicknames, "Texas star," and making it the perfect state fungus of the Lone Star State.
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But the distribution of the mushrooms often puzzles scientists. Aside from Texas, the mushroom has been sighted in parts of Oklahoma and around Kyushu, Japan.
Scientists say only a few hundred people have likely seen the rare mushroom.
