Story: Southern beech forest

Sooty mould and honeydew

Sooty mould and honeydew

Many South Island beech forests are infested with scale insects, which suck sap and secrete honeydew from their anal tubes (fine hair-like growths on the tree trunk). Sooty mould fungi grow on waste honeydew that has run down tree trunks, forming a dark sponge-like covering.

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Photograph by Christina Troup

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How to cite this page:

Joanna Orwin, 'Southern beech forest - Ecology', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/13321/sooty-mould-and-honeydew (accessed 18 April 2024)

Story by Joanna Orwin, published 24 Sep 2007