Nine U.S. states (California, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Kentucky, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Vermont, have officially declared a state mushroom.
Minnesota was the first to declare a species; Morchella esculenta was chosen as its state mushroom in 1984, and codified into Statute in 2010. At the time the state mushroom was named, the species epithet Morchella esculenta applied to North American as well as European yellow morels, but following taxonomic revisions is now solely a European name.
Four other states, Missouri, Washington, Massachusetts, and New York have had state mushrooms proposed in their state legislatures. __TOC__
Current state mushrooms State Species Image Year of designation Ref California Cantharellus californicus 2023 ColoradoAgaricus julius 2025 Colorado Designation of State MushroomIllinoisCalvatia gigantea2024KentuckyLactarius indigo2026 Minnesota Morchella esculenta 2010 Oregon Cantharellus formosus 1999 Texas Chorioactis geaster 2021 UtahBoletus edulis2023VermontHericium americanum Bear's head tooth fungus 2024
Proposed state mushrooms State Species Image RefMassachusettsCalvatia giganteaMassachusetts Legislature, 192nd Session. S.2060: An Act designating the "Giant Puffball" fungus as the official mushroom of the Commonwealth Missouri Cantharellus lateritius New York Lactarius peckii Washington Tricholoma magnivelare Tricholoma murrillianum
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References