T. canadensis , the variety common to Eastern North America, has small cones, soft bark, and short, dark leaves. In The Forest Cathedral, one of the oldest areas of Cook Forest, you'll find some of Pennsylvania's largest hemlock trees. Though a storm in 1956 and a tornado in 1976 destroyed many of the older trees, some ancient timbers are 350 years old and stand up to 200 feet high. But this large kingdom of plantlike organisms has many species, some with very unusual characterisitics. Fungi lack chlorophyll, like saprophytes, and reproduce by cell division or by spores.
Mushrooms are probably the most well-known type of fungus.
The poisonous variety are commonly called toadstools. The following varieties of mushrooms are found in The Cook Forest. This woodland mushroom is commonly found throughout Cook Forest. You can identify it by its shiny, spotted, red cap. The fly agaric mushroom was once used for fly poison, hence its name.