Winter mushroom — Flammulina velutipes (Curt. ex Fr.) Sing.

The winter mushroom belongs to the family Tricholomataceae. It grows on deciduous trees, especially on stumps of beech, linden, willow, locust, and alder. It grows in clumps or rows.

The cap is sticky, orange to yellowish red, darker in the middle. The stipe is long, wavy, lighter just below the cap, dark brown to black towards the bottom, velvety in texture. The gills are sparse and wide, white when the cap first develops, and assuming the colour of the cap as the mushroom matures.

The flesh is chewy, thin, and soft. This is a high quality edible mushroom, although only the caps can be eaten.