Tar Spot Disease

Photo Information

(226)

Genre: Fungi

Medium: Color

Date Taken: 2006-10

Categories: Fungi, Trees

Exposure: f/2.8, 1/160 seconds

Photo Version: Original Version

Date Submitted: 2006-10-30 6:41

Viewed: 612

Points: 3

[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note

tar spot disease on a leaf of Acer platanoides (Norway maple)

Division: Ascomycota
Subdivision: Pezizomycotina
Class: Leotiomycetes
Order: Rhytismatales
Family: Rhytismataceae
Genus: Rhytisma
Species: Rhytisma acerinum (in English: tar spot of maple, in Estonian: vahtra-pigilaik)

Tar spot is one of the most readily visible and easiest diseases of maple to diagnose. At the same time, it is one of the least damaging ailments on its host. ar spot is a little like anthracnose. The same name applies to similar diseases on a number of woody plants but different species of the fungus infect hosts other than maple. The disease can be found in North America and Europe. It could easily be called "tar spots" since two species of fungi are involved, producing two types of symptoms. The causal organisms are Rhytisma acerinum Pers. ex. Fr. (anamorph: Melasmia acerina) and Rhytisma punctatum Pers. ex Fr. (anamorph ). Hosts of both fungi include silver, red, sugar, mountain, Rocky Mountain, big leaf and sycamore maple as well as box elder. Additional maple hosts of Rhytisma acerinum are Norway, Amur and hedge. (read more)

We have two more tar spots in Estonia:
1. Rhytisma salicinum (in English: tar spot of willow, in Estonian: paju-pigilaik)
2. Rhytisma andromedae (in English: tar spot of andromeda, in Estonian: küüvitsa-pigilaik)

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