Fungus · GBIF taxon 3341441
Velvet Foot
Flammulina velutipesAlso known as Velvet Shank, Wild Enoki, Velvet Stem, Winter Mushroom
Velvet foot is a remarkably cold-hardy wood-decay fungus that produces tight clusters of glossy, honey-orange caps on decaying deciduous wood throughout late autumn and winter thaws. Fruiting bodies produce specialized antifreeze proteins and glycerol, enabling them to freeze solid, thaw out unharmed, and resume spore release when temperatures rise above freezing. While wild clusters display broad amber caps with distinctive dark, fuzzy stems, commercial forms grown in dark, high-carbon-dioxide environments take on the pale, thread-like appearance known in cuisine.
Winter FungiCold-HardyWood-Decay
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Saprobic (decomposes dead or weakened wood)
Predators
- Slugs
- Fungus gnats
- Springtails
ThreatsHabitat loss and intensive forestry that clears standing deadwood
HabitatsDeciduous woodlands, river valleys, and parks on dead or living hardwood trees
Life spanFruiting bodies persist for weeks; mycelium survives for years
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderAgaricales
- FamilyPhysalacriaceae
- GenusFlammulina
- SpeciesFlammulina velutipes
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Many edible mushrooms have toxic look-alikes; never eat wild fungi based on app identification alone.
Responsible observation
- Winter Searching: Look on dead or dying elms, willows, and poplars during mild spells between frosts.
- Stem Inspection: Check the lower stalk for the signature dark brown velvety coating that gives the species its name.
- Spore Print: Take a print on dark paper to confirm the clean white spore deposit.
Look-alike (c) Alan Rockefeller, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alan Rockefeller · cc-by
Competitor (c) Nathan Wilson, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
Neighbor voir ci-dessous / see below / CC BY 3.0 · cc-by
Image unavailableClose Relative
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