Puccinia gladioli on Gladiolus

Puccinia gladioli is a heteroecious rust of quarantine significance for the U.S. It is known from Europe and Asia. Although the aecial stage on Valerianella is reported from the western U.S., no telia have been found on Gladiolus in the U.S.

Puccinia gladioli Castagne, Obs. Pl. Acotyl. 2:17 1843.

On Valerianella:

Spermogonia generally hypophyllous, yellow, eventually blackish, globose, with periphyses.

Aecia generally hypophyllous, scattered, occasionally epiphyllous and isolated, cylindric or cupulate, 250-300 µm diam., peridium margin lacerate, peridial cells rhomboid, 20-34 x 17-24 µm, external wall transversally striate, 3-6 µm thick, internal wall verrucose, 2-3.5 µm thick; aeciospores subglobose, angular globose to ellipsoid, 17-24 x 13-18 µm, wall 1.5-3 µm thick, minutely verrucose.

On Gladiolus:

Uredinia unknown

Telia amphigenous, on reddish spots, sometimes limited by veins, minute, rounded, densely crowded or confluent, forming a crust up to 1 cm long, often covering much of the leaf surface, compact, chestnut brown to black; paraphyses cylindric to slightly clavate, brown, up to 80 µm long; teliospores ellipsoid to clavate, apex round to acute, slightly constricted at septum, gradually narrowing below septum, 36-60 x 16-27 µm, wall smooth, pale brown, 2-3 µm thick, up to 10 µm at the apex, sometimes mesospores present, 24-40 x 12-17 µm; pedicel hyaline, persistent, 10-60 µm long.

Hosts: Mainly on species of Gladiolus and Valerianella

Geographic distribution: Reported on Gladiolus from Europe and Asia. Although telia of Puccinia gladioli on Gladiolus have not been reported from the U.S., the aecial stage (Aecidium valerianellae) on Valerianella has been reported from the western U.S., as well Europe and Asia.

The heteroecious condition of this rust was proven by d'Oliviera (1949) who inoculated aeciospores of Aecidium valerianellae from Valerianella onto Gladiolus and observed production of telia typical of P. gladioli after 10 days (Wilson and Henderson 1966).

The only other Puccinia reported on Gladiolus is Puccinia mccleanii Doidge (1941) from South Africa. That species produces aparaphysate telia on Gladiolus whereas P. gladioli produces telia with paraphyses. Teliospores of P. mccleanii are thinner and paler than those of P. gladioli, which produces teliospores with cell walls usually thickened at the apex, up to 10 µm.

References:

d'Oliviera, B. 1949. Life cycle of Puccinia gladioli Cast. Nature 164: 239.

Doidge, E.M. 1941. South African rust fungi IV. Bothalia 4: 229-236.

Nomenclature

Specimens in BPI

Additional distribution data

Suggested citation: Hernández, J.R. Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, ARS, USDA. 28 January 2005. Invasive Fungi. Puccinia gladioli on Gladiolus. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from http://nt.ars-grin.gov/sbmlweb/fungi/index.cfm .