Puccinia celmisiae

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The images here appear show the anamorph stage (Uredo celmisiae), no teliospores were evident and it may be too early in the season for what is probably the overwintering stage to be present. Photomicrographs of uredo spores are at a range of magnifications and show globose to obovate echinulate spores of between 23 to 32 microns in diameter. Uredo celmisiae was described by Cooke in 1886 (Grevillea v14, p9, with little more than a latin diagnosis) from New Zealand. Cunningham (1924, Transactions of the New Zealand Institute v55, 1-58) formally described the teleomorph as Puccinia celmisiae, he also provided line drawings of both teleomorph and anamorph together with English descriptions and a host list including Celmisia longifolia. Four species of rust fungi are now known to infect Celmisia species in New Zealand (McKenzie 1998, NZ J.Bot. v36, 233-271). I’ve only been able to find one published report of this fungus from Australia (Petrak 1953, Ein kleiner Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Uredineen Australiens, Sydowia v7 p1-7). Sometime around 1950 Prof Gauba from the ANU sent rust infected specimens of Celmisia longifolia from Mt Gingera to Petrak who subsequently published the record. I’ve have been unable to search the password protected Australian Plant Disease Database to determine if this species has been collected in Australian plant pathogen herbaria.