# Enoki Mushroom (*Flammulina*)

Enoki Mushrooms are small and delicate with long stems. They are often used in soups and salads for their crunchy texture!

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Cool, damp areas
- **Also known as:** Enokitake, Winter Mushroom

![Enoki Mushroom](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771424671/objects/5091.jpg)

## Appearance

The Enoki Mushroom has a distinctive appearance, with cultivated varieties featuring long, thin, white stems and tiny white caps. Wild Enoki mushrooms are shorter, with a velvety, reddish-brown stem and a more prominent yellow-orange cap, making them look quite different.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Agaricales
- **Family:** Physalacriaceae
- **Genus:** Flammulina

## Interesting facts

- Cultivated Enoki are grown in darkness, making their stems extra long and pale!
- The name 'Enoki' comes from the Japanese hackberry tree, which is a favorite place for them to grow.
- These mushrooms have been enjoyed in East Asian cuisine for over 300 years!
- Wild Enoki mushrooms look so different, they have velvety orange caps and shorter stems!

## Special abilities

- **Shape-Shifter:** Enoki Mushroom has adaptable growth that helps them change appearance dramatically based on light levels, from short and colorful to long and pale.
- **Wood Recycler:** Enoki Mushroom can decompose dead wood, recycling nutrients back into the forest ecosystem for other plants and fungi.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 3-18 cm
- **Edible:** edible
- **Size:** 2-7 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Winter
- **Spore Color:** White

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Black Slug](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-slug) (*Arion ater*) — Slugs are known to feed on many types of fungi.
- **Eaten by:** [Eastern Gray Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-gray-squirrel) (*Sciurus carolinensis*) — Squirrels forage for mushrooms, including Enoki.
- **Depends on:** Chinese Hackberry (*Celtis sinensis*) — Enoki mushrooms frequently grow on its dead or dying wood.

## Traits

- [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Do not pick or eat anything you find. Some plants and mushrooms can be harmful.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Enoki Mushroom?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Enoki Mushroom?

3-18 cm

### Is Enoki Mushroom edible?

edible

### How big is Enoki Mushroom?

2-7 cm

### Where is Enoki Mushroom usually found?

Cool, damp areas

### What does Enoki Mushroom grow on?

wood

### When is Enoki Mushroom in season?

Winter

### What color are Enoki Mushroom spores?

White

## Where to spot

- [Knowsley Safari Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/knowsley-safari-park) — England, GB · Zoo

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Enoki Mushroom: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/enoki-mushroom)