MORPHOLOGY OF PENICILLATE CELLS IN THE GENUS PHYLLACTINIA (ERYSIPHACEAE) BASED ON IRANIAN SPECIMENS

Abstract

The genus <em>Phyllactinia</em> is one of the members of Erysiphaceae (Erysiphales, Ascomycota) which parasitize several host plant families. This taxon is well characterized by having acicular appendages with bulbous swelling at the base and penicillate cells which are outgrowth of some ascoma wall cells. A number of challenges exist to distinguish species assigned to this taxon. This is because of a few morphological characters available for species delimitation. Identification is further complicated for some species such as <em>P. guttata</em>, the best known species causing powdery mildew on more than 50 host plant families (BRAUN 1987, 1995), even though they posses close morphological characterization. The most taxonomic studies on the genus <em>Phyllactinia</em> have focused primarily on characters other than morphology of penicillate cells. The best known study for taxonomic purposes carried out by SHIN & LI (2002).