Flammulina RFLP Patterns Identify Species and Show Biogeographical Patterns within Species

Representative collections of Flammulina were examined by restriction digests of the ribosomal RNA internally transcribed spacer region (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2). Digestion with the restriction enzymes, Hae III and Bst F51 distinguished among the major Northern Hemisphere species of Flammulina. Digestion of F. velutipes collections with two additional restriction enzymes, Bgl I and Bst UI, gave variable restriction fragment patterns and revealed biogeographically identifiable patterns. Three haplotypes of F. velutipes were identified with geographical distributions chiefly in Asia, Europe and North America. Recent transfer of haplotypes among geographical areas seems plausible based on the observed haplotype distribution.