PUCCINIA DISTINCTA, CAUSE OF THE CURRENT DAISY RUST EPIDEMIC IN BRITAIN, IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER RUSTS RECORDED ON DAISIES, P-OBSCURA AND P-LAGENOPHORAE
Rws. Weber et al., PUCCINIA DISTINCTA, CAUSE OF THE CURRENT DAISY RUST EPIDEMIC IN BRITAIN, IN COMPARISON WITH OTHER RUSTS RECORDED ON DAISIES, P-OBSCURA AND P-LAGENOPHORAE, Mycological research, 102, 1998, pp. 1227-1232
Three British rust fungi reported to form aecia on daisy (Bellis peren
nis) are compared. A recently discovered species, possibly introduced
from Australia, is identified as Puccinia distincta. It is a short-cyc
led -opsis form lacking uredinia, with aecia and telia confined to Bel
lis and its aeciospores capable of reinfecting the same host. This rus
t is compared with a macrocyclic heteroecious eu-form, P. obscura, whi
ch produces pycnia and aecia on Bellis and uredinia and telia on Luzul
a. Puccinia distincta is probably derived from and correlated with P.
obscura because both species have the same aecial host, and because th
eir teliospores are closely similar in morphology and dimensions. Comp
arison is extended to P. lagenophorae, a common rust with aecia and te
lia on Senecio spp., which has been reported to form aecia on Bellis f
ollowing inoculation with aeciospores from Senecio. The repeated failu
re of our own reciprocal inoculation experiments using aeciospores fro
m the two different hosts and differences in teliospore morphology bet
ween P. distincta and P. lagenophorae lead us to conclude that the cur
rent rust epidemic on daisies is caused by P. distincta which is disti
nct from P. lagenophorae.