99 



Pyropolyporus Everhartii (Ellis & Gall.) Murrill 

 AS A Wound Parasite. 



Geo. N. Hoffer. 



During the fall of 1912 and the spring of this year many observations 

 of various species of oaks infected with PyrotJolijporus Everhartii were 

 made by my class in forest pathology working in the vicinity of Lafayette, 

 Indiana. The finds from the first were very interesting because of consider- 

 able deformation of trees of Quercus imhricaria Mich. 



The fungus is reported in Bulletin No. 149 of the Bureau of Plant In- 

 dustry. Here it is described as a wound parasite on Quervna niariilundica 

 Muench., blackjack oak. Murrill describes the fungus as attacking living 

 trunks of Quercus nifira and FutjUH species. In a recent communication 

 G. G. Hedgecock tells me that the fungus is very common in the lower 

 Mississippi valley. In Phytopathology, Vol. 2, No. 2, Mr. Hedgecock records 

 the hosts for this fungus. The list includes all of the oak species upon 

 which I found the fungus with the exception of Quercus alha L. This spe- 

 cies is a new host in tliis locality. 



Plate I shows a number of sporophores from three different hosts. Plate 

 II shows the bole of a Quercus imhricaria badly deformed. Large knotty 

 growths have developed and, in the centers of these, sporophores have 

 formed. Plate III shows a sporophore developing on a living tree of Quer- 

 cus velutina Lamarck. Plate IV shows a stub of a killed tree of Quercus 

 alha L. 



The other species upon which the fungus has been found in this vicinity 

 .ire Quercus ruhra L. and Quercus macrocarija Michaux. The effect on these 

 ti'Oes has been generally the killing of branches of the trees. 



The distribution of the fungus within the state has not been worked 

 out. It has been observed by me in Kosciusko County during the past sum- 

 mer. The species upon which I found it in this locality was Quercus velu- 

 tina Lam. It was frequently found on both dead and living trees. Examin- 

 ations of some of the dead trees showed no signs of borer attacks. 



From these ol>servations I believe that the fungus maj^ be of consider- 

 able economic importance within the state. 



The photographs from which the plates have been made were taken 

 by P. H. Teal, class of 1!)13, Purdue. Mr. Teal made a study of the fungi 

 affecting the oaks in this country as his thesis subject. 



