Microbotryum violaceum
Microbotryum violaceum | |
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Microbotryum violaceum on Silene alba | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Fungi |
Phylum: | Basidiomycota |
Class: | Microbotryomycetes |
Order: | Microbotryales |
Family: | Microbotryaceae |
Genus: | Microbotryum |
Species: | M. violaceum |
Binomial name | |
Microbotryum violaceum (Pers.) G. Deml & Oberw., (1982) | |
Synonyms | |
Caeoma antherarum (DC.) Nees (1816) |
Microbotryum violaceum, also known as the anther smut fungus, was formerly known as Ustilago violacea. It is a Basidiomycete obligate parasite of many Caryophyllaceae. But it has now separated into many species due to its host specificity.
Examples
M. violaceum can infect and sterilize the plant species Silene latifolia by acting like a sexually transmitted infection.