This family includes not only wood decomposers, such as Oudemansiella mucida but other buried-wood degraders such as the widespread edible species Flammulina velutipes

This genus contains a number of species which are parasites, attacking and killing living trees. Once established, the ribbon-like mycelium spreads throughout the tree, and when the tree dies, the fungus continues to live on the dead wood as a saprophyte

Oudemansiella genus are saprophytic found mostly growing on wood. They tend to produce large quantities of white spores.