DISEASES OF BOOTS, ETC. 53 



spicuous tough felts of white mycelium under the bark 

 distinguish this fungus from the root fomes (Fomes 

 annosus] with its very thin mycelium. Another charac- 

 teristic of the honey fungus consists in the black-brown 

 round or flattened strands, " shoe strings," which are 

 found under the bark or in the soil near the affected 

 tree. The parasite is, in fact, sometimes called shoe- 

 string fungus. The annual fruiting bodies are honey- 

 colored mushrooms with gills (PI. XIX), the stalks 

 bearing a thin yellowish ring. They grow in great 

 numbers on stumps, bark, or on the ground near the 

 base of living or dead trees. 



SCALY LENTINUS. 



Although it is not certain that the scaly lentinus 

 (Lentinus lepideus] actually attacks living trees, there 

 are indications that it does so. It is certainly very de- 

 structive to dead timber. The big white annual fruit- 

 ing bodies are often found in large clusters on the butts 

 of Jeffrey, yellow, and lodgepole pine. Occasionally, 

 however, they grow on the dead roots of living trees 

 and also high up on the trunk. The underside of the 

 fruiting body has no pores, but is provided with wide 

 white gills standing on edge and radiating from a cen- 

 tral stalk which is tough and fleshy. The fruiting 

 bodies resemble irregularly shaped white mushrooms, 

 the upper side of which is at first covered with broad 

 yellowish, and later, grayish-brown scales radiating 

 from the center to the margin. 



