Minnesota Plant Diseases. 



55 



ordinary leaves but are larger and very spiny, and stand out 

 from the branches just as do the leaves on a very young plant 

 of red cedar or in a similar fashion to those of the common 

 juniper. At the bases of the leaves may be found in spring the 

 brown cushions of spores. Another very common broom, espe- 

 cially in the northern part of the state, is that on the balsam fir. 

 This broom is much larger than that of the red cedar and the 

 branches are often very long and wavy and are thicker than 

 their sister unbroomed branches. The leaves are thickish, and 

 are yellowish in color and fall very early, never lasting as long 



FIG. 25. An enlarged view of a broom on the spruce shown in figure 24. The distorted 

 bush-like appearance of the broom is very marked. The mistletoe plants can be seen 

 on the smaller branches. (See Fig. 101.) Photograph by author. 



as the ordinary leaves. It is clear that the broom must derive 

 most if not all of its nourishment from the neighboring parts 

 of the fir tree. Such brooms may become ten feet or more in 

 diameter. The fungus partner of this broom is also a rust fun- 

 gus and the spores are produced in great abundance in late 

 spring or early summer. Another common broom is found on 



