238 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
more commonly in beech than in other deciduous woods:
for example, Russula fellea and Collybia confluens. This
latter species is very often to be seen forming "fairy rings"
on the leaf carpet. In the beechwoods around Box Hill an
earth-star, Geaster triplex (Plate 11) is often abundant but
difficult to see at first because it is so much the colour of the
fallen leaves.
Some of these fungi that the mycologist collects from the
forest floor form mycorrhiza with beech, but others have no
direct connexion with the living trees and are concerned
only with the decomposition of the leaf litter.
Fig. 3. Mycorrhiza. Portion of root of beech from the leaf litter
showing three coralloid mycorrhizal rootlets.
If the dead leaves of a beechwood are scraped away, the
fine branched, somewhat coralloid, mycorrhizas (fungal
roots) are easily visible (Fig. 3). In section it is seen that
root-hairs are not present, but the root is covered by a
mantle of closely-interwoven fungal hyphae. Further,
hyphae penetrate between the outer cortical cells forming