Dependence of Fruit-Body Elongation on the Mycelium in Flammulina Velutipes

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Abstract
Flammulina velutipes (Curt, ex Fr.) Sing, fruit bodies were grown on potato dextrose agar. Their fresh and dry weights increased during the elongation phase up to a length of 13–14 cm which was close to the maximum (15 cm) obtained on this medium. The increase was mainly due to the stipe weight. The weight increase of the cap stopped before the end of the elongation phase. Fresh and dry weight increases were parallel but neither was directly proportional to the elongation. The rate of dry weight increase of the stipe reached maximum a day later than the elongation rate. The results indicate that elongating fruit bodies receive a continuous supply of water and other materials from the mycelium. Dependence on the mycelium was demonstrated by the fact that fruit bodies grew very little if they were removed at different lengths and laid on the mycelium. The mean residual elongation was 0.17 cm for fruit bodies isolated at 0.3-1.0 cm, and increased to a plateau (mean 0.78 cm) after isolation at 6 cm or more. Compared to the expected normal growth the residual elongation of isolated fruit bodies showed that the dependence on the mycelium decreased with age. Young fruit bodies left attached to disks of agar with limited amounts of established mycelium reached a greater final length with increasing disk diameter. For fruit bodies of 2.1-3.0 cm initial length left on disks, the maximum elongation was directly proportional to the area of the upper surface. Provided the disk diameter exceeded 1 cm, the fruit bodies also grew more than isolated specimens.