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Gymnosporangium

Genus of fungi

  • 4 min read
  • 3 chapters

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In junipers (the primary hosts, see photo), some species form a ball-like gall about 2–4 cm in diameter which produces a set of orange tentacle-like spore tubes called telial horns. These horns expand and have a jelly like consistency when wet. In other species, such as in G. clarvariforme, the telia are produced directly from the bark of the juniper with no obvious gall formation or swelling. The basidiospores are released and travel on the wind until they infect an apple, pear, hawthorn or suitable tree.

On the secondary hosts, the fungus produces yellowish depressions on the leaves. It also infects the fruit, which grows whitish tubes like a Medusa head. These are the spore tubes. These aeciospores must then infect a juniper to complete the life cycle. All the types of spores can spread over long distances.

The fungus does not cause serious damage to junipers, but apple and pear trees can suffer serious loss of fruit production due to the effects of the fungus. Although the genus has a worldwide distribution, its impact depends on availability of its two host plant species. Individual species are found in Northern and Central America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Due to the economic impacts of the rusts in some areas where orchards are of commercial importance, some regions have attempted to ban the planting of and/or eradicate the coniferous hosts.

In 2020, the monotypic family Gymnosporangiaceae was proposed to accommodate Gymnosporangium. As accepted by Wijayawardene et al. 2020.

Selected species and hosts

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