Flammulina velutipes
Gibran Suleiman, Wildlife Biologist at Fort Riley,
Kansas, took this photograph of a magnificent fruiting of Flammulina
velutipes near the historical First Territorial Capital of Kansas.
Commonly known as velvet foot for its dark velvety
base and also called "winter mushroom" for its late fall and early spring
fruiting, this mushroom is cultivated commercially and is used extensively
in oriental cooking. There it is harvested when more immature than
the mushrooms in this photo and is known as Enokitake.
by Ron Meyers