The mushroom naturally grows on the stumps of the Chinesehackberry tree and on other trees, such as ash, mulberry and persimmon trees. There is a significant difference in appearance between the wild and cultivated types of the mushroom. Cultivated mushrooms have not been exposed to light, resulting in a white color, whereas wild mushrooms usually display a dark brown color. Cultivated mushrooms are grown in a carbon dioxide -rich environment to nurture the development of long thin stems, whereas wild mushrooms produce a much shorter and thicker stem. The wild variety of the mushroom may be found from September through to March, hence the name winter fungus. When picking it in the wild, it is important not to confuse it with the poisonous Galerina marginata. Flammulina velutipes can be distinguished by its shiny and sticky caps, white spores, and the absence of a ring on the stem. Galerina marginata presents brown caps and stipe and most notably has brown, rusty spores. It also tends to grow isolated and it presents a ring. Commercially farmed enoki is a long, thin white mushroom and is a popular ingredient for soups, especially in East Asian cuisine, but can be used for salads and other dishes. The mushroom has a crisp texture and can be refrigerated for approximately one week. The farmed form is also known as golden needle mushroom, futu mushroom or lily mushroom. The farmed F. velutipes is sold both fresh and canned. The wild forms differ in color, texture, and sliminess and may be called futu, seafood mushrooms, winter mushrooms or winter fungus, velvet foot, velvet stem or velvet shank.
Names
The names enokitake, enokidake and enoki are derived from the Japanese language. In Mandarin Chinese, the mushroom is called or . In India it is called , in Korean, it is called paengi beoseot which means "mushroom planted near catalpa", and nấm kim châm in Vietnamese. In Hungary it is called :hu:T%C3%A9li f%C3%BCl%C5%91ke|téli fülőke, meaning "winter ear".
Edibility and health
Flammulina velutipes is edible but may have a soft or slimy texture. Enokitake mushrooms contain antioxidants, like ergothioneine. Animal testing has indicated possible applications in the development of vaccines and cancer immunotherapy. Research at the National University of Singapore, first published in 2005, stated that the stalk of the golden needle mushroom contains a large quantity of a protein, named "Five"/"FIP-fve" by the researchers, that helps in the regulation of the immune system. The mushroom also contains flammutoxin, a cytolytic and cardiotoxic protein that has proven to be non-toxic when absorbed/taken orally. The cardiotoxin flammutoxin has been isolated from Enokitake.
