Acacia cyclops A. Cunn. ex G. Don (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae), originating from Western Australia, is a serious environmental weed in South Africa. A dieback disease of A. cyclops occurring in South Africa is described, and a fungus herein named Psuedolagarobasidium acaciicola Ginns sp.nov. (Basidiomycetes, Polyporales, Hyphodermataceae) was consistently isolated from diseased roots of A. cyclops trees showing early dieback symptoms. Isolates of P. acaciicola caused 100% mortality in pathogenicity screening tests using seedlings of A. cyclops. Saplings of A. cyclops were inoculated with one isolate of P. acaciicola, and all plants were killed within 2–3 months. No control plants died. Psuedolagarobasidium acaciicola was reisolated from all inoculated plants that died. Trees growing in the field were inoculated at two sites on two occasions. Most inoculated trees died within 2 years, whereas no control plants died. Eventually P. acaciicola fruited in vitro and in vivo allowing the basidiomes and cultures to be described. This fungus has potential to be developed as a bioherbicide to aid in the control of this serious environmental weed.
Twenty-one species are treated in detail. New specific combinations are proposed as Ceraceomerulius albostramineus (Torrend) and its variety flavido-albus (Corner); as Ceraceomyces serpens (Ft.); as Gloeoporus chlorinus (Pat.) and G. subambiguus (P. Henn.); as Leucogyrophana luridochracea (Corner), L. sororia (Burt) and L. montana (Burt); as Meruliopsis ambiguus (Berk.), M. bellus (Berk. & Curtis), M. corium (Fr.), M. hirtellus (Burt), and M. miniatus (Wakef.); and as Radulomyces fuscus (Lloyd). Cultural characters are described in detail for the first time for M. ambiguus, M. hirtellus, Merulius incarnatus Schw., C. borealis (Rom.), C. serpens, and Ceraceomerulius albostramineus. Extensive new synonymy is proposed, which is based on the study of nearly 150 type specimens, and a nomenclator is included which contains over 350 valid combinations in Merulius.
Cultural characteristics observed in nearly 75 cultures were the basis for the descriptions of the four North American species of Hericium. Comparison of the cultural characters showed subtle differences among the species. Similarities in cultural characters led to the evaluation of nearly 4100 intercollection matings to confirm the identity of the cultures and establish species circumscriptions. As a result all Canadian cultures labelled H. erinaceus were reassigned to H. americanum. The presence of H. erinaceus in Canada could not be confirmed. Matings confirmed the conspecificity of North American and European cultures of H. coralloides and H. erinaceus. Intracollection matings established or confirmed that H. abietis, H. americanum, H. coralloides, and H. erinaceus have a bifactorial mating system.
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