Velvet Shank, Flammulina velutipes is a saprophyticfungus in the family Physalacriaceae. The species occurs in
Europe and North America and is typically found on dead or dying
elm, as well as ash, beech and oak..
| Common Name: Velvet Shank |
| Scientific Name: Flammulina velutipes |
| Other Names: velvet foot, wild enoki, velvet stem |
| Family: Physalacriaceae |
Physical Characteristics
The Velvet Shank (Flammulina velutipes) is a saprophytic fungus in the family Physalacriaceae of the order Agaricales of the Agaricomycetes. It is commonly known as the velvet shank. |
| Range: Europe and the North America |
| Edible Parts: Caps and Stipes |
 Spore Print: White
|
 Cap: Convex
|
| Hymenium: attachment is irregular or not applicable |
 Hymenium: Adnate
|
 Stipe: Bare
|
 Edibility Rating: 3 
|
 Known Hazards: None known
|
Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Velvet Shank along with all the Velvet Shank containing recipes presented on this site, with 3 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Velvet Shank as a major wild food ingredient.
This well known species is fond of cold weather, and, globally, commonly appears in late autumn or winter (In the UK it tends to fruit from December to April). It has a sticky, almost rubbery, orange-ish to reddish brown cap, along with a distinctively velvety stem that darkens from the base upward. It grows from the wood of hardwoods — but as the wood can sometimes be buried, this can make the the mushrooms appear terrestrial. The spore print is white.
Cap: 1–6cm across; convex, becoming broadly convex or flat; sticky when fresh; bald; dark orange brown to orangish brown or yellowish brown; often paler toward the margin; fading with age; the margin becoming lined.
Gills: Broadly or narrowly attached to the stem; close, or nearly distant; creamy white to pale orangish; short-gills frequent.
Stem: 2–5cm long; 3–10mm thick; equal or larger towards base; tough; whitish to pale to yellowish brown or orange brown when young; becoming covered from the base upwards with a dark, brown to blackish, velvety coating; often developing fine longitudinal ridges; occasionally with a long, skinny 'root' extending into the substrate.
Flesh: White; sometimes yellow in the stem base; unchanging when sliced.
Though considered a choice edible species, the odour and taste are not distinctive. Note that the skin on the cap should be removed before cooking. This species also dries well. Many authorities recommend that velvet shanks are cooked before consumption, though I have been adding sliced mushrooms as garnishes to hot foods (eg soups) with no issues.
Long considered to be conspecific with the Asian Flammulina filiformis, cultivated for food as 'enokitak', enoki or 'golden needle mushroom'; recent DNA sequencing evidence has shown that the two are distinct (with the Asian species defined as: Flammulina filiformis). Which is no to say that in culinary usage, velvet shank is not a good substitute for enokitake and any recipe calling for enokitake can be made with velvet shanks.
Possible Confusion:
The Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata), pictured, is similar and deadly poisonous but it has a skirt on the stem. Velvet Shanks usually grow in larger clusters than Funeral Bells. The Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) is also similar but unlikely to be confused with the Velvet Shank as the sulphur tuft is sulphur yellow and has dirty olive green gills.
The Common Rustgill, Gymnopilus, penetrans, looks very similar but has crowded, thin gills that will have rust coloured spots when mature, the cap is usually dry unlike the Velvet Shank, it doesn’t tend to grow in large clusters like the Velvet Shank and apart from a possible small overlap, Common Rustgills grow from June to just about December,
For other edible mushrooms, see the guide to edible mushrooms
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Velvet Shank as a major wild food ingredient.
This well known species is fond of cold weather, and, globally, commonly appears in late autumn or winter (In the UK it tends to fruit from December to April). It has a sticky, almost rubbery, orange-ish to reddish brown cap, along with a distinctively velvety stem that darkens from the base upward. It grows from the wood of hardwoods — but as the wood can sometimes be buried, this can make the the mushrooms appear terrestrial. The spore print is white.
Cap: 1–6cm across; convex, becoming broadly convex or flat; sticky when fresh; bald; dark orange brown to orangish brown or yellowish brown; often paler toward the margin; fading with age; the margin becoming lined.
Gills: Broadly or narrowly attached to the stem; close, or nearly distant; creamy white to pale orangish; short-gills frequent.
Stem: 2–5cm long; 3–10mm thick; equal or larger towards base; tough; whitish to pale to yellowish brown or orange brown when young; becoming covered from the base upwards with a dark, brown to blackish, velvety coating; often developing fine longitudinal ridges; occasionally with a long, skinny 'root' extending into the substrate.
Flesh: White; sometimes yellow in the stem base; unchanging when sliced.
Though considered a choice edible species, the odour and taste are not distinctive. Note that the skin on the cap should be removed before cooking. This species also dries well. Many authorities recommend that velvet shanks are cooked before consumption, though I have been adding sliced mushrooms as garnishes to hot foods (eg soups) with no issues.
Long considered to be conspecific with the Asian Flammulina filiformis, cultivated for food as 'enokitak', enoki or 'golden needle mushroom'; recent DNA sequencing evidence has shown that the two are distinct (with the Asian species defined as: Flammulina filiformis). Which is no to say that in culinary usage, velvet shank is not a good substitute for enokitake and any recipe calling for enokitake can be made with velvet shanks.
Possible Confusion:
The Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata), pictured, is similar and deadly poisonous but it has a skirt on the stem. Velvet Shanks usually grow in larger clusters than Funeral Bells. The Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) is also similar but unlikely to be confused with the Velvet Shank as the sulphur tuft is sulphur yellow and has dirty olive green gills.
The Common Rustgill, Gymnopilus, penetrans, looks very similar but has crowded, thin gills that will have rust coloured spots when mature, the cap is usually dry unlike the Velvet Shank, it doesn’t tend to grow in large clusters like the Velvet Shank and apart from a possible small overlap, Common Rustgills grow from June to just about December,
For other edible mushrooms, see the guide to edible mushrooms
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Velvet Shank recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 3 recipes in total:
Page 1 of 1
| Velvet Mushroom Pâté Origin: Britain | Velvet Shank and Burdock Soup Origin: Fusion | Winter Mushroom and Smoked Fish Soup Origin: Fusion |
Page 1 of 1