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Enoki Mushroom - Flammulina velutipes
Also commonly known as winter mushroom, velvet stem, velvet foot, enoki,
enokitake.
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Velvet Foot Mushroom - Flammulina velutipes
Photo: Petra Korlevic |
Flammulina velutipes is recognized by a sticky, orange-brown cap and
dark, finely pubescent stipe. This species is commercially grown, sold in
many markets under the name Enoki. The cultivated product, which is grown in
the dark and as a result has long, slender, pale stipes and tiny caps, bears
little resemblance to wild material. Commercially grown year-round, Enokis
are tiny, white mushrooms on thin white stems. They are usually eaten fresh
or sauted. They can be incorporated into salads and stir-fries.
Wild
varieties can be found usually solitary to clustered on hardwood stumps and
logs; fruiting from late fall to winter above the snow line, especially on
Elm, Willow, and Poplar. The stems are fuzzy and the caps sticky. The velvet
foot has fruited in earth orbit. In 1993 it was cultured as part of the
joint Columbia / Spacelab D-2 mission. The velvet foot normally bends its
stem near the base, then grows straight up so it can drop its spores
cleanly. In space, however, the 'shrooms grew in random directions, proving
they are oriented by gravity.
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| Although Fungi were once considered to be part of the plant
kingdom, most experts now consider them to be a separate Kingdom or
phylum. There are estimated to be over 100,000 different fungi, most
of which form only tiny threads (Hypha) that can only be seen
through a microscope. Of these, about 20,000 are considered to be
high fungi or macro fungi, i.e. those that produce visible fruiting
bodies. Only these are of any interest to the fungi enthusiast and
covered in any detail, mostly of which belong to the subdivision
Ascomycotina and Basidiomycotina. |
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Species of fungi are divided into the following three categories
1 - Mycorrhizal fungi form a partnership with some plants,but mostly with living
trees.
2 - Parasitic fungi prefer the living host; this category is fairly small.
3 - Saprophytic fungi prefer dead and decaying material.
Mycorrhizal
Mycorrhizal fungi form a partnership mainly with trees but also with some
plants, but rather then harming the tree, their presence significantly increases
the roots' effectiveness. Fungi send their hyphae in and about the little
rootlets of the tree until its difficult to tell them apart. The tree supplies
the mycelium with moisture and carbohydrates, and the mycelium returns the
favour with minerals and other nutrients from the surrounding soil. Mycorrhiza
fungi are beneficial both in nature and agriculture; plants with them tend to
grow better than those without.
Parasitic
Parasitic fungi are the second largest group, of whose members do a lot of
serious damage. Rather than obtaining their food from dead animals or plants,
they prefer a living host, often attacking and killing, it then living on as a
saprophytic fungi.
Saprophytic
Saprophytic fungi are the largest group of fungi, they growing on dead organic
matter such as fallen trees, cow patties, dead leaves, and even dead insects and
animals. These fungi have enzymes that work to "rot" or "digest" the cellulose
and lignin found in the organic matter, with the lignin being an important
source of carbon for many organisms. Without their digestive activities, organic
material would continue to accumulate until the forest became a huge rubbish
dump of dead leaves and trees. |
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