''Phyllachora banksiae'' is a species of

fungus 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 ...

in the family

Phyllachoraceae Phyllachoraceae is a family of sac fungi. Genera As accepted by 2020 Outline (with amount of species per genus); *'' Apiosphaeria'' (8) *'' Ascovaginospora'' (1) *'' Brobdingnagia'' (4) *'' Camarotella'' (8) *'' Coccodiella'' (27) *'' C ...

. Originally named ''Plectosphaera banksiae'' by Harry Swart, it was placed in the genus ''

Phyllachora ''Phyllachora'' is a genus of fungi in the family Phyllachoraceae. An Outline of Fungi in 2020 listed up to 1513 species. '' Phyllachora queenslandica'' (from Australia) is found on shrub ''Neolitsea dealbata''. Species A selected few are show ...

'' in 2001. The

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * ...

collection was made from a ''

Banksia integrifolia ''Banksia integrifolia'', commonly known as the coast banksia, is a species of tree that grows along the east coast of Australia. One of the most widely distributed ''Banksia'' species, it occurs between Victoria and Central Queensland in a ...

'' plant in Lake Tyers,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

(Australia) in May, 1986. Infection is characterised by leaf spots that have a greyish central area spotted with black ostioles (pores) through which spores are expelled. The

mycelium Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

of the fungus grows in the double-layered

epidermis The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermal layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the ...

of the leaf of the

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

plant, and penetrates the

mesophyll tissue A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...

in the center of the colony.

Perithecia An ascocarp, or ascoma (: ascomata), is the fruiting body ( sporocarp) of an ascomycete phylum fungus. It consists of very tightly interwoven hyphae and millions of embedded asci, each of which typically contains four to eight ascospores. Ascoc ...

are up to 400

μm The micrometre (Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a unit of length in the International System ...

in diameter and are the same thickness as the leaf. The asci (spore-bearing cells) are up to 180 μm long and 15 μm wide.

Ascospore In fungi, an ascospore is the sexual spore formed inside an ascus—the sac-like cell that defines the division Ascomycota, the largest and most diverse Division (botany), division of fungi. After two parental cell nucleus, nuclei fuse, the ascu ...

s are

hyaline A hyaline substance is one with a glassy appearance. The word is derived from , and . Histopathology Hyaline cartilage is named after its glassy appearance on fresh gross pathology. On light microscopy of H&E stained slides, the extracellula ...

(translucent), and measure 20–25 by 10 μm.

References

External links

* Fungi described in 1988 Fungi of Australia Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Ornamental plant pathogens and diseases Phyllachorales Fungus species {{Phyllachorales-stub