 The specific epithet geaster alludes to members of genus Geastrum , which also open to form star @-@ shaped fruit bodies commonly called ' earthstars ' . In the United States , Chorioactis geaster is commonly known as the Texas star , or the devil 's cigar . Regarding the origin of the latter name American mycologist Fred Jay Seaver commented : " Whether the name Devil 's Cigar refers to the form of the young specimens which resemble a bloated cigar in form , as well as in color , or to the fact that the fungus appears to ' smoke ' at maturity , we cannot say ... At any rate , the name is very appropriate . " In 1997 , Texan state Senator Chris Harris filed a bill to make C. geaster the official state fungus of Texas . The bill passed the Senate but did not succeed in the House . In Japan the mushroom is called kirinomitake ( キリノミタケ ) , because the immature , unopened fruit body bears a superficial resemblance to the seed pods of kiri , the empress tree ( Paulownia tomentosa ) . 
