Physiology and the Breeding of Flammulina Velutipes

The basidiomycete, Flammulina velutipes (Curt. ex Fr.) Sing., is one of the most popular edible mushrooms in Japan. In nature, this white-rot fungus grows on dead trunks and stumps of broad-leaved trees and, more rarely, on dead stumps of conifers. In temperate zone countries, the mushroom is collected as a food source by rural people from late autumn to spring. The fungus is cultivated in Japan using highly improved spawn, and produces bunches of long, white fruit bodies with tiny umbrella-to bell-shaped tops (Figure 1). Production continues all year round in air-conditioned mushroom houses. Total production throughout Japan in 1991 exceeded 500 billion yen (US$3.8 billion) in value. Figure 1 Commercial stock of Flammulina velutipes, Nakano-JA. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780203753682/b6d629f5-100c-4215-8cac-f848efccf934/content/fig5_1.jpg"/>