Rust of Prickly Ash

(Puccinia andropogonis var. xanthoxyli)

Conservation Status
Rust of Prickly Ash
 
  IUCN Red List

not listed

 
  NatureServe

not listed

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
           
 
Description
 
 

Puccinia andropogonis has a complex life cycle involving five distinct life stages and two host species. The life stages are pycniospores, aeciospores, urediniospores, teliospores, and basidiospores. The fungus overwinters in the telial stage on big bluestem and little bluestem. There are nine currently recognized varieties of Puccinia andropogonis, and each variety occurs in the aecial stage on just one of nine plant species in the summer. Puccinia andropogonis var. xanthoxyli is found exclusively on northern prickly ash, hence the common name Rust of Prickly Ash.

On infected plants it appears as orange, pustule-like structures (uredinia) on the upper and lower leaf surfaces. It will occasionally also appear on stems.

The uredinia are the fruiting structures of the fungus. They are round to oval and up to 3 16 long. They contain a dusty mass of thousands of microscopic, orangish-yellow summer spores (urediospores).

On northern prickly ash it first appears as swollen, yellowish-green spots on the upper leaf surfaces and twigs. On the undersurface of the spot there are numerous, tiny, rust pustules. The leaves and twigs are disfigured but the infection is not fatal to the plant.

 
     
 

Similar Species

 
     
     
 
Habitat and Hosts
 
 

Big bluestem and northern prickly ash

 
     
 
Ecology
 
 

Season

 
 

Summer on northern prickly ash, spring in big bluestem

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

4, 7, 26, 29, 30, 77.

 
  6/9/2022      
         
 

Occurrence

 
 

 

 
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Fungi (fungi)  
  Subkingdom Dikarya  
  Phylum Basidiomycota (club fungi)  
  Subphylum Pucciniomycotina  
  Class Pucciniomycetes  
 

Order

Pucciniales (rust fungi)  
 

Suborder

Uredinineae  
 

Family

Pucciniaceae  
 

Genus

Puccinia (orange-yellow rusts)  
  Species Puccinia andropogonis  
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Puccinia andropogonis var. zanthoxyli

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

Rust of Prickly Ash

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
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Infestation

 
    Rust of Prickly Ash      
           
 

Stem

 
    Rust of Prickly Ash   Rust of Prickly Ash  
           
    Rust of Prickly Ash      
           
 

Upper leaf surface

 
    Rust of Prickly Ash   Rust of Prickly Ash  
           
 

Lower leaf surface

 
    Rust of Prickly Ash   Rust of Prickly Ash  
           
    Rust of Prickly Ash      

 

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slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
     
     
     

 

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