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Is this a record of daisy smut from galloway?
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IS THIS A RECORD OF DAISY SMUT FROM GALLOWAY? J E M MORDUE CAB International Mycological Institute, Ferry Lane, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AF
I U stilospore (slightly immature) of Entyloma calendulae f. bellidis in leaf tissue of Bellis perennis from Galloway. Bar = 5pm. At Kirroughtree Forest Garden in May 1986 during the Spring Foray, a single slightly unhealthy looking Bellis perennis was found in a sward of lightly mown, little trampled, daisy-rich grass. The symptoms were not the typical circular whitish, later brownish, leaf spots of the daisy white smut Entyloma calendulae (Oudem.) de Bary f. belli dis (Krieger) Ainsw. & Sampson, but a general pale colour with some spotting of leaf margins. When mounted, however, one ustilospore was found (Fig.) together with a few probably immature spores. The specimen really is not adequate for confirmation of the identity of the fungus, so I am looking forward to another opportunity to visit the site, or to information from anyone else who may do so. The first British collection of E.calendulae f. bellidis was made at St. Fergus, Aberdeenshire, in December 1932 by Alexander Smith, and the smut, which is morphologically indistinguishable from its relative, the Dahlia leaf spot smut E.calendulae f. dahliae (Sydow) Viegas, has not apparently been recorded here since. It is widely distributed in Europe from Sweden southwards, extending even into North Africa (Lindeberg, 1959; Zundel, 1953), and there is no obvious reason why it should not be widely distributed in the British Isles. I have now searched many sites. Particularly fine daisy populations come to mind at Irchester Country Park (Spring Foray 1983), Handa Island (Upland Foray 1985), a few stretches of footpath on the South Downs (e.g. at Kingley Vale); there is also the CMI lawn and my own garden at Kingston-upon-Thames (though daisies there suffered badly in the 1976 drought and have never fully recovered). I have found no smut at any of these sites. Perhaps other mycologists and gardeners would like to keep a special watch on their local daisy patches for a fungus that must be genuinely rare in Britain (Mordue & Ainsworth, 1984). The best season is likely to be high summer, but considering the evergreen host and the one confirmed specimen, any time of year is possible. REFERENCES LINDEBERG, B (1959). Ustilaginales of Sweden (exclusive of the Cintractias on Caricoideae). Symbolae Botanicae Upsaliensis 16(2): 1-175. MORDUE, J E M & AINSWORTH, G C (1984). Ustilaginales of the British Isles. Mycological Paper
154. ZUNDEL, G L (1953). The Ustilaginales of the World. Pennsylvania of Botany Contribution 176.
State College. Department
IS THIS A RECORD OF DAISY SMUT FROM GALLOWAY? J E M MORDUE CAB International Mycological Institute, Ferry Lane, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AF
I U stilospore (slightly immature) of Entyloma calendulae f. bellidis in leaf tissue of Bellis perennis from Galloway. Bar = 5pm. At Kirroughtree Forest Garden in May 1986 during the Spring Foray, a single slightly unhealthy looking Bellis perennis was found in a sward of lightly mown, little trampled, daisy-rich grass. The symptoms were not the typical circular whitish, later brownish, leaf spots of the daisy white smut Entyloma calendulae (Oudem.) de Bary f. belli dis (Krieger) Ainsw. & Sampson, but a general pale colour with some spotting of leaf margins. When mounted, however, one ustilospore was found (Fig.) together with a few probably immature spores. The specimen really is not adequate for confirmation of the identity of the fungus, so I am looking forward to another opportunity to visit the site, or to information from anyone else who may do so. The first British collection of E.calendulae f. bellidis was made at St. Fergus, Aberdeenshire, in December 1932 by Alexander Smith, and the smut, which is morphologically indistinguishable from its relative, the Dahlia leaf spot smut E.calendulae f. dahliae (Sydow) Viegas, has not apparently been recorded here since. It is widely distributed in Europe from Sweden southwards, extending even into North Africa (Lindeberg, 1959; Zundel, 1953), and there is no obvious reason why it should not be widely distributed in the British Isles. I have now searched many sites. Particularly fine daisy populations come to mind at Irchester Country Park (Spring Foray 1983), Handa Island (Upland Foray 1985), a few stretches of footpath on the South Downs (e.g. at Kingley Vale); there is also the CMI lawn and my own garden at Kingston-upon-Thames (though daisies there suffered badly in the 1976 drought and have never fully recovered). I have found no smut at any of these sites. Perhaps other mycologists and gardeners would like to keep a special watch on their local daisy patches for a fungus that must be genuinely rare in Britain (Mordue & Ainsworth, 1984). The best season is likely to be high summer, but considering the evergreen host and the one confirmed specimen, any time of year is possible. REFERENCES LINDEBERG, B (1959). Ustilaginales of Sweden (exclusive of the Cintractias on Caricoideae). Symbolae Botanicae Upsaliensis 16(2): 1-175. MORDUE, J E M & AINSWORTH, G C (1984). Ustilaginales of the British Isles. Mycological Paper
154. ZUNDEL, G L (1953). The Ustilaginales of the World. Pennsylvania of Botany Contribution 176.
State College. Department