134 SPICES 



CHAP. 



mistletoe, as it will continue to grow again. The bough 

 on which it is must be cut off below the parasite. The 

 planter should regularly look over the trees to see if 

 there is any mistletoe, so that it may be cut off while 

 young. 



The presence of any quantity of this parasite implies 

 great neglect of the plantation on the part of the 

 manager. I have, however, seen valuable nutmeg trees 

 owned by natives and Eurasians almost destroyed by 

 this pest, and in some cases, where the trees were near 

 the seashore, they had even been attacked by the 

 climbing parasite Cassytha, which attacks seashore 

 shrubs and had climbed upon the nutmeg trees. It is 

 a leafless, yellow, cord-like plant, with white flowers. 



Hypocrdla scutata. On the leaves of sickly trees it 

 is not uncommon to find some round bun-shaped bodies 

 of a light orange colour, \ in. across and about \ in. thick. 

 These are, I believe, the fruiting state of an ascomycete 

 fungus, Hypocrdla scutata. Under a lens they are 

 seen to be elevated in the middle, and covered with 

 sticky brown projections. These are the mouths of the 

 asci, from which the spores are ejected. These bun- 

 shaped fungi are easily detached and there is no sign 

 of any injury to the leaf beneath them, except a small 

 yellow spot in the centre where the chlorophyll is des- 

 troyed. On the rest of the leaf, however, is a quantity 

 of a black mycelium of Hypocrella. To the naked eye 

 it has the appearance of a little soot rubbed on the leaf. 



The fruit and mycelium seem to be always on the 

 upper side of the leaf, and do not inflict any apparently 

 serious injury. Hypocrella is said to be saprophytic 

 only, and not parasitic. 



It would be better to pluck off and destroy all 

 leaves affected by this fungus, as the mycelium doubt- 

 less is more or less injurious to the leaf. Its presence 

 may be taken as a sign that the plant wants manuring. 



Soot-Mould. The leaves of plants in a weak state 

 of health are often covered with a black fungus, belong- 

 ing to the group of Perisporiae commonly known as soot- 



