''Lophodermium'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

within the family

Rhytismataceae The Rhytismataceae are a family of fungi in the Rhytismatales order. It contains 55 genera and 728 species. Genera According to the 2007 Outline of Ascomycota, the following genera are in the Rhytismataceae. The placement of the genus '' Nymano ...

. The genus contains 145 species and has a global distribution. Species of this genus are usually observed producing zone lines, conidiomata and ascomata on dead fallen leaves, but at least some are known to colonize living leaves. In many cases they then live inside the colonized leaf as a symptomless endobiont, where they are regarded as

detritivore Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...

s utilising dead plant matter. In a few cases they may kill all or part of the leaf prematurely, and there is a substantial literature dealing with those species as

plant pathogen Plant diseases are diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like orga ...

s.Phillips, D. H., & Burdekin, D. A. (1992). ''Diseases of Forest and Ornamental Trees'', ed. 2. Macmillan The genus infects many different plant families but with a notable concentration in the family

Pinaceae The Pinaceae (), or pine family, are conifer trees or shrubs, including many of the well-known conifers of commercial importance such as Cedrus, cedars, firs, Tsuga, hemlocks, Pinyon_pine, piñons, larches, pines and spruces. The family is incl ...

; many ''Lophodermium'' species are restricted to a single host genus (or even speciesCheng-Lin Hou, Li Li, & Meike Piepenbring (2009) ''Lophodermium pini-mugonis'' sp. nov. on needles of ''Pinus mugo'' from the Alps based on morphological and molecular data
''Mycol. Progress'' 8: 29–33.
/ref>), but some, particularly those infecting

grasses Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...

, may infect several genera.Minter, D. W. ''Fungi of Ukraine'', Rhytismatales
''Lophodermium''
. CAB International.Pacific Northwest Fungi Database
''Lophodermium''
Some are economically important plant pathogens, such as those that cause needlecast disease in

European Black Pine ''Pinus nigra'', the Austrian pine or black pine, is a moderately variable species of pine, occurring across Southern Europe from the Iberian Peninsula and Lower Austria to the eastern Mediterranean, on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Corsica ...

Scots Pine ''Pinus sylvestris'', the Scots pine (UK), Scotch pine (US), Baltic pine, or European red pine is a species of tree in the pine family Pinaceae that is native to Eurasia. It can readily be identified by its combination of fairly short, blue-gr ...

and

Red Pine ''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to Eastern North America. Description Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in heigh ...

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

and

christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...

plantations. In these species, notably ''L. pinastri'' and ''L. seditiosum'', the fungal

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual reproduction, sexual (in fungi) or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for biological dispersal, dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores fo ...

s disperse and infect the

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

needles in late summer, which turn brown by the following spring and then fall off.

Partial list of species

A selection of species is listed below with their principal hosts: *'' Lophodermium abietis''. Host: ''

Picea A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' is the sole genus ...

'' (often included in ''L. piceae'') *'' Lophodermium apiculatum''. Host:

Poaceae Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivate ...

*'' Lophodermium arundinaceum''. Host: Poaceae *'' Lophodermium aucupariae''. Host: ''

Sorbus ''Sorbus'' is a genus of over 100 species of trees and shrubs in the rose family, Rosaceae. Species of ''Sorbus'' ('' s.str.'') are commonly known as rowan or mountain-ash. The genus used to include species commonly known as whitebeam, cheque ...

'' *'' Lophodermium australe''. Host: ''

Pinus A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as c ...

'' *'' Lophodermium autumnale''. Host: ''

Abies Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

'' *'' Lophodermium baculiferum''. Host: ''Pinus'' *''

Lophodermium caricinum ''Lophodermium caricinum'' is a species of fungus in the family Rhytismataceae. It is a decomposer known to live on dead tissues of ''Carex capillaris'', '' Carex machlowiana'', ''Eriophorum angustifolium ''Eriophorum angustifolium'', common ...

''. Host: ''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family (biology), family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of ge ...

'' *'' Lophodermium chamaecyparissi''. Host: ''

Juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

us'' *'' Lophodermium conigenum''. Host: ''Pinus'' *'' Lophodermium consociatum''. Host: ''Abies'' *'' Lophodermium culmigenum''. Host: Poaceae *'' Lophodermium decorum''. Host: ''Abies'' *'' Lophodermium durilabrum''. Host: ''Pinus'' *'' Lophodermium exaridum''. Host: ''

Pyrola ''Pyrola'' is a genus of evergreen herbaceous plants in the family Ericaceae. Under the old Cronquist system it was placed in its own family Pyrolaceae, but genetic research showed it belonged in the family Ericaceae. The species are commonly ...

'' *'' Lophodermium festucae''. Host: Poaceae *'' Lophodermium foliicola''. Host:

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus '' Rosa''. The family includes herbs, shrubs, and trees. Most species are deciduous, but som ...

, particularly ''

Crataegus ''Crataegus'' (), commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, Voss, E. G. 1985. ''Michigan Flora: A guide to the identification and occurrence of the native and naturalized seed-plants of the state. Part II: Dicots (Saururaceae–Cornacea ...

'' *'' Lophodermium gramineum''. Host: Poaceae *'' Lophodermium herbarum''. Host: ''

Convallaria ''Convallaria'' is a genus of flowering plants. It is a genus with species '' Convallaria majalis'' (lily-of-the-valley), and Convallaria pseudomajalis (American lily-of-the-valley). The generic name means valley in Botanical Latin Botanical ...

'' *'' Lophodermium hypophyllum''. Host: ''

Vaccinium ''Vaccinium'' is a common and widespread genus of shrubs or dwarf shrubs in the heath family (Ericaceae). The fruits of many species are eaten by humans and some are of commercial importance, including the cranberry, blueberry, bilberry (wh ...

'' *'' Lophodermium hysterioides''. Host: ''

Amelanchier ''Amelanchier'' ( ), also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plum or chuckley pear,A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants/ref> is a ...

'' *'' Lophodermium indianum''. Host: ''Pinus'' *'' Lophodermium intermissum''. Host: '' Andromeda'' *'' Lophodermium juniperinum''. Host: ''Juniperus'' *'' Lophodermium lacerum''. Host: ''Abies'' *'' Lophodermium laricinum''. Host: ''

Larix Larches are deciduous conifers in the genus ''Larix'', of the family Pinaceae (subfamily Laricoideae). Growing from tall, they are native to the cooler regions of the northern hemisphere, where they are found in lowland forests in the high la ...

'' *'' Lophodermium macci''. Host: ''Pinus'' subgenus ''Strobus'' *'' Lophodermium maculare''. Hosts: ''

Arctostaphylos ''Arctostaphylos'' (; from "bear" and "bunch of grapes") is a genus of plants comprising the manzanitas () and bearberries. There are about 60 species of ''Arctostaphylos'', ranging from ground-hugging arctic, coastal, and mountain shrub t ...

, Vaccinium'' *'' Lophodermium melaleucum''. Host: ''Vaccinium'' *'' Lophodermium molitoris''. Host: ''Pinus'' *'' Lophodermium nanakii''. Host: ''Picea'' *'' Lophodermium nitens''. Host: ''Pinus'' *'' Lophodermium oxycocci''. Host: ''Vaccinium'' *'' Lophodermium paeoniae''. Hosts: '' Paeonia'' *'' Lophodermium petiolicola''. Hosts: ''

Castanea The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Description C ...

Quercus An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

'' *'' Lophodermium piceae''. Host: ''Abies'' (''L. abietis'' often considered synonymous) *'' Lophodermium pinastri'' Hosts: ''Larix, Pinus'' *'' Lophodermium pini-excelsae'' Host: ''Pinus'' subgenus ''Strobus'' *'' Lophodermium pini-mugonis'' Host: ''

Pinus mugo ''Pinus mugo'', known as dwarf mountain pine, mountain pine, scrub mountain pine, Swiss mountain pine, bog pine, creeping pine, or mugo pine, is a species of conifer, native to high elevation habitats from southwestern to Central Europe and Sou ...

'' *'' Lophodermium pyrolae''. Host: ''Pyrola'' *'' Lophodermium rubicola''. Host: ''

Rubus ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. ...

'' *'' Lophodermium schweinitzii''. Hosts: ''

Gaultheria ''Gaultheria'' is a genus of about 283 species of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. The name commemorates Jean François Gaultier of Quebec, an honour bestowed by the Scandinavian Pehr Kalm in 1748 and taken up by Carl Linnaeus in his '. These pl ...

Rhododendron ''Rhododendron'' (; : ''rhododendra'') is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants in the Ericaceae, heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan ...

'' *'' Lophodermium seditiosum'' Host: ''Pinus'' *'' Lophodermium sphaerioides''. Host: ''Rhododendron'' *'' Lophodermium thuyae''. Host: ''

Thuja ''Thuja'' ( ) is a genus of coniferous tree or shrub in the Cupressaceae (cypress family). There are five species in the genus, two native to North America and three native to eastern Asia. The genus is monophyletic and sister to ''Thujopsis''. M ...

'' *'' Lophodermium typhinum''. Host: ''

Typha ''Typha'' is a genus of about 30 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Typhaceae. These plants have a variety of common names, in British English as bulrushStreeter D, Hart-Davies C, Hardcastle A, Cole F, Harper L. 2009. ' ...

'' *'' Lophodermium uncinatum''. Host: ''Abies''

References

External links

*
Lophodermium
' at

Index Fungorum ''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names (scientific names) in the fungus kingdom. As of 2015, the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partners along with Landcare Research and th ...

{{Authority control Leotiomycetes Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Leotiomycetes genera