Puccinia longicornis Pat. & Har.

2. Puccinia longicornis Pat. & Har. View in CoL View at ENA

( Figs 1A, B View FIG ; 2 View FIG C-E; 3D, G, H, J)

Puccinia longicornis Pat. & Har. View in CoL , Bulletin de la Société mycologique de France 7: 143 (1891). — Dicaeoma longicorne (Pat. & Har.) Kuntze View in CoL , in Revisio Generum Plantarum 3 (2): 469 (1898).

DISTRIBUTION. — Puccinia longicornis is mostly known from Japan ( Hiratsuka 1958; Hiratsuka et al. 1992; Ito 1909; Kusano 1908; Morimoto 1973). It has also been mentioned from China ( Reinking 1919; Tai 1979; Teng 1996; Wang & Zhuang 1998; Zhang et al. 1997; Zhuang 2001), Korea ( Cho & Shin 2004), Russian Federation (far east, Azbukina 1984), United Kingdom ( Reid 1978, 1984; Jones & Baker 2007; Lane et al. 2009; Henderson & Bennell 1979; Woods et al. 2015; Henderson 2000, 2004) and Belgium. These last two countries seem to be the only ones in Europe in which the species has been observed up to now ( Termorshuizen & Swertz 2011; Klenke & Scholler 2015).

The British observations of Puccinia longicornis have been made during the period 1983-2015, in SE England and the Wales:

– Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, West Sussex (TQ33), 1.VI.1977 ( Reid 1978);

– Pondlands, Haslemere Museum, Haslemere, Surrey (SU93), 09.X.1983, 19.XI.1983, 10.III.1984 and 13.V.1984 ( Reid 1984); – Unspecified place, Surrey (TQ16), 05.V.1987, 29.V.1994, 08.VI.1997 and 04.VI.2000;

– “In a garden centre in southern England ”, V.2007 ( Lane et al. 2009); – Glamorgan (VC 41) ( Woods et al. 2015);

– Carmarthenshire (VC 44) ( Woods et al. 2015);

– Cardiganshire (VC 46) ( Woods et al. 2015).

In Belgium, the species has been observed in nine places:

– Kalmthout, 15.V.2017 and 07.VII.2018 (FUNBEL and Observation.be);

– Kwaadmechelen, 01.IX.2017 (Observation.be);

– Oostmalle, Blommerschot, 31.X.2017 (Observation.be);

– Brussels (Ixelles), Parc Tenbosch, 19.V.2018 and 05.VI.2018 (our specimens); – Meise, Domain of Bouchout (BR), outdoor bamboo collection, 20.VI.2018 and 05.II.2019 (our specimens);

– Brussels (Auderghem), 28.VII.2018 (our specimens);

– Brugelette, park of the Castle of Attre, 19.VIII.2018 (our specimens); – Schilde, 13.XI.2018 (Observation.be);

– Ham, 22.XI.2018 (Observation.be).

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Belgium, Brussels (Ixelles), Parc Tenbosch, 19. V.2018. On the underside of the leaves of Sasa palmata . Specimen A. Fraiture 3739 ( BR). – Ibid., 05. VI.2018. On Sasa palmata . Specimens A. Fraiture 3742 ( BR) and A. Vanderweyen F 1094 (KR-M-0006377).– Belgium, Meise, Domain of Bouchout ( BR), outdoor bamboo collection, 20. VI.2018. On the underside of the leaves of Sasa palmata f. nebulosa . Specimens A. Fraiture 3746 ( BR) and A. Vanderweyen F 1098 (KR-M-0006376). – Ibid., 05.II.2019. On Sasa palmata f. nebulosa . Specimen A. Fraiture 3760 ( BR). – Belgium, Brussels (Auderghem), 28.VII.2018. On Sasa cf. tsuboiana . Specimen A. Vanderweyen F 1100. – Belgium, Brugelette, park of the Castle of Attre, 19.VIII.2018. On Sasa palmata . Specimen A. Fraiture 3751 ( BR).

DESCRIPTION

Aecia

Not seen.

Uredinia

Hypophyllous, erumpent, 0.2-0.7 × 0.2-0.5 mm, cinnamon, rupturing the epidermis of the leaf and initially surrounded by a thin whitish collar of epidermis fragments and by an ochraceous halo on the tissues of the host, each sore producing on the upper surface of the leaf a small spot, 0.3-1.5 mm diam., which is dark brown with a yellowish border.

Urediniospores

(27-)29-33.5-38(-41) × (20-)23-26.1-31(-32) µm, subglobose, obovoid or ellipsoid, with a pale brownish wall 1.5-3.0 µm thick looking two layered, provided with acute spines 1.0- 1.5 µm long and with 4(-5) approximately equatorial germpores; inserted on a 4-5 µm wide pedicel which is almost always detached from the spore.

Paraphyses

Non-septate, hyaline, capitate, with a head (8-)19-23(-28) µm wide and a 1.0-2.0(-3.0) µm thick wall.

Telia

Hypophyllous 0.25-1.2 mm diam., isolated, erumpent, appearing in winter, dark brown then (in May) covered by a whitish layer of basidia and basidiospores, producing on the upper surface of the leaf rather inconspicuous pale brownish round spots, about 0.4-1.0 mm diam.

Teliospores

(60-)70-79.8-89(-95) × (12-)15-17.1-21 µm, 2-celled, pale brownish, with a 1-2µm thick wall appearing sometimes finely punctate; fusoid, most of them bearing an elongated thickened rostrate apex which is often destroyed or partly dissolved during germination of basidia; inserted on an up to 250 µm long and 2-4 µm wide pedicel which is hyaline and usually very thick walled (1-1.5 µm) [but rather thin walled(0.3-0.5 µm) and often collapsed in the specimen AF 3746]. A small proportion of the teliospores are shorter and broader, 37-50 × 19-22 µm (dimorphism), with somewhat darker and thicker wall (up to 2 µm).

Basidiospores

10-12.2-14.5 × 7.0-8.6-10.0 µm, Q = 1.24-1.42-1.71, ellipsoid to ovoid or phaseoliform, with a hyaline, smooth and thin wall.

Host plants

Sasa palmata E.G.Camus and S. palmata f.nebulosa (Makino) Suzuki.

Culms not caespitose, up to 3 m high, with cylindrical internodes and single branch-complement on the nodes. Culm-sheaths shorter than the corresponding internodes. Five leaves on each branch. Leaf-blades 26-34 (-38) × 6,0-8,5 cm, glabrous on both sides, with 11-13 pairs of secondary veins.

Sasa cf. tsuboiana Makino.

Culms not caespitose, up to 3 m high, with cylindrical internodes and single branch-complement on the nodes. Culm-sheaths pubescent. Leaves 3-5 on each branch. Leafblades up to 3, 5 cm wide, glabrous on both sides, with eight pairs of secondary veins.

Hyperparasitic fungus and mycophagous insect

On some of our specimens of Puccinia longicornis we observed numerous pycnidia of Sphaerellopsis filum as well as a development of Lecanicillium muscarium and larvae of Mycodiplosis sp. feeding on the uredinia (see more details about these three species in the notes under P. deutziae , comb. nov.).