CHAPTER VII 



FUNGUS GROWTH ON TREES 



TREES are not only liable to suffer from the 

 attacks of insects, but often receive irreparable 

 damage from the growth of various cryptoga- 

 mous plants, such as fungi, lichens, and mosses. 

 Some fungi attack living wood, some dead, 

 and some both ; and, while the majority are 

 found growing on the stem, others attack the 

 twigs, leaves, or roots. They are of all sizes, 

 from the almost microscopical to the beef- 

 steak fungus, which often exceeds a couple of 

 feet in diameter. Some are jelly-like in con- 

 sistency, others leathery or almost woody in 

 texture ; and while certain kinds spring up and 

 disappear in a few days, others remain intact 

 on the tree stem for several years. In shape, 

 too, they vary considerably, from the curious 



Jew's-ear fungus, which greatly resembles the 



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