Persons familiar with the appearance of the chestnut blight fungus may
easily confuse it with another fungus found in Washington, Greene, and
Fayette counties. This fungus (_Endothia radicalis_ Schw.), (Denot.) is
related to the blight fungus (_Endothia parasitica_ Murr.) (And.), but
is found only on dead wood and bark and does not attack living tissues.
It has been thoroughly studied by the field pathologist, since at
first it was feared that it might have parasitic tendencies. Continued
investigation proves beyond doubt that this fungus is a harmless
saprophyte which need not be feared. It need not be confused with the
parasitic species by those who have the opportunity to compare them.