DENVER (KDVR) — Move over magic mushrooms, there’s a new fungus taking the spotlight in Colorado.
Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed HB25-1091, designating the Agaricus Julius, or Emperor mushroom, as the official state mushroom. The Emperor mushroom joins other iconic official state symbols such as the Rocky Mountain Columbine flower, bighorn sheep, Colorado blue spruce and lark buntings to represent the Centennial State.
“Designating a state mushroom helps us celebrate the important and diverse plants and animals that make up and strengthen the lands and ecosystems that make the landscapes of our state so vibrant and inspiring,” Polis said in a press release. “Our state mushroom has coloring similar to a portobello, a cherry-almond aroma, and it’s delicious.”
According to the bill, which passed the Colorado House in mid-March, the Emperor mushroom is an edible fungus found in the Rocky Mountains and plays “an important role in maintaining the health of forests and ecosystems.”
Scientists first mistook the Emperor mushroom for its relative, the Prince mushroom, before identifying it as a distinct species in Colorado in 2016. Emperor mushrooms decompose dead or decaying organic matter, which reduces wildfire fuel loads.
They appear in high-elevation spruce-fir forests and have large caps adorned with brown scales.
“The inclusion of a symbol from the kingdom of fungi will help promote and celebrate the importance of fungi and mushrooms in Colorado,” according to the bill.
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