394 



DISEASES OF CULTIVATED PLANTS 



trees enumerated above, the orange, cacao, cinnamon, mango, 

 pepper, ramie, and other plants of economic value, and many 

 other shrubs and trees of minor importance. The fungus 

 causes a bark disease, characterised by the production of 

 superficial pink patches of fungus tissue. On Hevea brasi- 

 liensis the fungus generally originates at the fork of a tree, or 

 where several branches arise close together from the main 



Fig. [22 Corticium scutellare. Fungus on wood, nat. size. 



'stem. The fungus is at first usually superficial on the bark 



and can be scraped off without injury. The pink patch 

 gradually extends, and may eventually cover the entire 

 circumference of the tree and the bases of adjacent branches. 

 In the case of young trees growing in wet districts the 

 fungus appears to grow continuously, and kills off the bark 

 uniformly. The side branches are ringed and killed, and the I 



