The Cronartiaceae are a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of
rust fungi
Rusts are plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi of the order Pucciniales (previously known as Uredinales).
An estimated 168 rust genera and approximately 7,000 species, more than half of which belong to the genus ''Puccinia'', are currently a ...
in the order
Uredinales.
They are
heteroecious
A heteroecious parasite is one that requires at least two hosts. The ''primary host'' is the host in which the parasite spends its adult life; the other is the ''secondary host''. Both hosts are required for the parasite to complete its life cycl ...
rusts with two alternating hosts, typically a
pine
A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...
and a
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
, and up to five spore stages. Many of the species are plant
disease
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...
s of major economic importance, causing significant damage and (in some cases) heavy mortality in conifers.
References
* Hiratsuka, Y. et al. (1991). ''Rusts of pine. Proceedings of the IUFRO Rusts of Pine Working Party Conference''. Forestry Canada Information Report NOR-X-317.
External links
Forestry Images: photos of some Cronartiaceae rusts
Pucciniales
Cronartiaceae
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