324 FUNGI — PLANTS THAT LACK CHLOROPHYLL 
thrown off from the ends of the hyphse which have burst 
through thin places between the segments of the fly’s body. 
Other common fungi are potato blight, red rust of wheat, 
corn smut, which produces the black mass found in an ear 
of corn, and the bracket fungi, which grow in large numbers 
Figure 294. — Oyster Mushroom. 
An edible mushroom which grows on wood. (From MurriH’s “ Edible and 
Poisonous Mushrooms.”) 
on the trunks of trees and whose hyphse cause the death of 
the tree. 
The fungi used for food are nourishing, but there is a prej¬ 
udice against their use because other fungi which resemble 
them closely are poisonous. As a matter of fact, it is an 
easy task to learn to distinguish the edible from the poisonous 
fungi. While the harmless fungi are now used as food much 
more than formerly, only a few varieties are raised for trade 
purposes (Figures 294 and 295). 
