: Because cities had planted elms in monocultures, the trees' root systems had often grafted together underground. The fungus didn't just fly; it traveled through the very "handshakes" of the trees' roots.
: The fungus clogged the tree's vascular system, preventing water from reaching the leaves. Within years—sometimes months—the stately giants turned into skeletal gray husks. american elm
The story of the ( Ulmuscap U l m u s americanaa m e r i c a n a : Because cities had planted elms in monocultures,