In 2023, the Utah State Legislature approved H.B. 92, designating the porcini (Boletus edulis) as the official state mushroom. Representative Christine Watkins (R-Price) sponsored the bill with the goal of raising awareness of mushrooms’ critical role in Utah’s forest ecology. Governor Spencer J. Cox signed the bill into law on March 20, 2023.

To raise Utahn’s fungal awareness, the Mushroom Society of Utah hopes that the “beautiful and delicious” porcini is designated as the state mushroom. The Mushroom Society of Utah is promoting the porcini mushroom as the state mushroom, due to its appealing appearance and taste.

Boletus edulis is a popular edible bolete mushroom. It is also known as the porcini/porcino, cep, king bolete, steinpilz, or penny bun. Unlike other mushrooms that grow on composting material, bolete mushrooms thrive near or under specific trees.

Porcini Scientific Classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Basidiomycota
Class: Agaricomycetes
Order: Boletales
Family: Boletaceae
Genus: Boletus
Species: B. edulis

The following information about porcini mushrooms is from the Mushroom Society of Utah.

Porcini mushrooms (Boletus edulis) are beautiful and delicious, and grow abundantly in the Rocky Mountains, including along the Wasatch front, the Uintas, and in the montane coniferous forests throughout the central and southern regions of Utah. Porcini are one of the most prized wild edible mushrooms admired all around the world, and genetic research on them is being pioneered here in Utah. Collecting wild porcini in Utah’s mountains is a favored pastime for many Utahns, and recognizing this alongside the many other outdoor activities Utah is so well-known for would further enrich our state’s reputation as a wilderness paradise.

Porcini are critical to forest health. Porcini are mycorrhizal, meaning they form an obligate mutualistic symbiosis with plant roots, providing essential nutrients and water from the soil in exchange for sugar the plants make through photosynthesis. This ancient and ubiquitous relationship allowed plants to first colonize land and today is the primary symbiosis supporting our forests. This essential partnership makes Utah’s mountain forests more resilient to perturbation and will be a critical factor as our state’s ecosystems adapt to a changing climate.

Porcini are noteworthy because they serve a vital role in maintaining a healthy and vibrant forest ecosystem through its symbiotic partnership with subalpine fir, Engelmann spruce, and other conifers. Up to 50% of the living biomass of soils are fungi like porcini that form these mycorrhizal networks. These networks play crucial roles in improving nutrient exchange, sequestering carbon, and balancing ecosystem health, connectivity, and regeneration. The presence of porcini is an indicator of forest health. Its recognition as a state symbol may instill greater awareness of the health of our forests.