Antherospora scillae ex Scilla bifolia

#Scillabifolia #Scilla #ZweiblättrigerBlaustern #alpinesquill #Scilleàdeuxfeuilles #scillasilvestre #scilla #Antherosporascillae #Antherospora #phytopathology #Brandpilz #Smutgfungus #Fungus #Pilz #Nature

Spring Squill infected with Antherospora tractemae
#FungiFriends #WildPlantDisease

Antherospora hortensis ex Muscari armeniacum

#Muscariarmeniacum #ArmenischeTraubenhyazinthe #grapehyacinth #MuscaridArménie #Antherosporahortensis #Antherospora #SmutFungus #Smut #Brandpilz #Brand #Phytopathology #Nature #FungiFriends

Antherospora hortensis ex Muscari armeniacum

#Muscariarmeniacum #ArmenischeTraubenhyazinthe #grapehyacinth #MuscaridArménie #Antherosporahortensis #Antherospora #SmutFungus #Smut #Brandpilz #Brand #Phytopathology #Nature #FungiFriends

Antherospora hortensis ex Muscari armeniacum
Südpark, Düsseldorf, NRW, Germany, 23.3.2026

#Brandpilz #SmutFungus #Phytopathology #FungiFriends

Nothing to see here, just a normal plant. Or is it? 🤨
Here's Antherospora hortensis, a parasite on the anthers of Muscari armeniacum. These parasite are called anthericolous fungi and from originate diverse lineages. They hijack pollination so their spores are dispersed by insects!
#fungifriends

Antherospora hortensis ex Muscari armeniacum

#muscariarmeniacum #armenischetraubenhyazinthe #grapehyacinth #MuscaridArménie #antherosporahortensis #antherospora #smutfungus #smut #brandpilz #brand #phytopathology #nature #fungifriends

The anther smut fungus Antherospora tractemae that infects Scilla verna was nice to see on Sunday at Penryhnmawer on the Llyn Peninsula, it takes over the plants reproductive organs ,the plants anthers are filled with a dark olivaceous-brown mass of spores instead of pollen.

After literally shaking hundreds of Grape Hyacinth stems over a number of years it was both joyful and a relief to finally find the associated smut, Antherospora hortensis! 😄

Infecting the Spring Squill at Killard yesterday were:
Uromyces scillarum, a rust (first Irish record);
Botrytis sp., a grey mould;
Antherospora tractemae, a flower smut;
possibly a Septoria sp. leaf spot
#FungiFriends

Antherospora scillae ex Scilla bifolia

#scillabifolia #scilla #ZweiblättrigerBlaustern #alpinesquill #Scilleàdeuxfeuilles #scillasilvestre #scilla #antherosporascillae #antherospora #phytopathology #brandpilz #smutgfungus #fungus #pilz #nature

Antherospora hortensis does not infect other Muscari. But several close cryptic taxa infect other species indeed.

Yes, this particular species is only found on one particular muscari. Other Antherospora infect different host, such as other Muscari, Scilla, Barnardia or Eucomis. But many more anthericolous genera are known: Microbotryum or Thecaphora, for example.

Anther #smut fungus infection flowers of grape hyacinth (#Muscari neglectum? 🤔) caused by #Antherospora sp., with the contents of the pollen sacs transformed into mass of spores (Millau, FR). Could be A. vaillantii s. l. based on Bladmineerders or A. hortensis based on K&S 2015.

Anther #smut fungus infection flowers of grape hyacinth (#Muscari neglectum? 🤔) caused by #Antherospora sp., with the contents of the pollen sacs transformed into mass of spores (Millau, FR). Could be A. vaillantii s. l. based on Bladmineerders or A. hortensis based on K&S 2015.