Flammulina velutipes

Scientific name:   Flammulina velutipes (Fries) Karsten
Derivation of name:  Velut- means "velvet" or "velvety"
and refers to the velvety stipe.
Synonyms:  Collybia velutipes
Common name(s):  Velvet foot; Winter mushroom.
Phylum:   Basidiomycota
Order:   Agaricales
Family:   Marasmiaceae
Occurrence on wood substrate:  Saprobic; fruiting in
clusters on deciduous trees, logs, and stumps; October
through May, winter during winter thaws, summer cold
spells. 
Dimensions:  Caps 2.5-5 cm wide; stipes 2.5-7.5 cm long
and 3-5 mm thick.   
Cap:  Slimy to tacky; smooth; reddish-brown to tawny,
darker in the center.        
Gills:  Attached; whitish to yellowish.
Spore print: White.
Stipe: Yellowish at the top, becoming darker toward the
base due to dense, velvet-brown pubescence.
Veil: Absent.
Edibility: Edible.
Comments: This mushroom is cultivated in the Orient as
Enotake or Enoki-take. The commercial product is
strikingly different than the form found in the wild.

More information at MushroomExpert.com:
More information at TomVolkFungi.net:

 
Figure 1.  A cluster on wood. Even in this photograph the
caps look sticky. Note the dark velvety lower stipes.
Photo © Pam Kaminski.


Figure 2. Another cluster on wood. Compared to Figure 1.
these specimens show some of the cap color variation.
Photo © William Roody.

Figure 3. The gills of Flammulina velutipes are whitish
to yellowish. Photo © Al Simpson.

Figure 4. Enotake or Enoki-take. Photo © Gary Emberger.

Figure 5. Enoki package of Figure 3 opened. I bet you're
wondering why the cultivated form looks so different. The
answer is available at Tom Volk's web site.
Photo © Gary Emberger.


Figure 6. Enoki caps and gills. Photo © Gary Emberger.