Fusarium Scirpi: Emended Description and Notes on Geographic Distribution

ABSTRACT

Several unusual cultures of Fusarium species were recovered from plant debris washed from soil samples from Broken Hill, Australia, in 1976 and 1977. Since the initial isolations, many more of these cultures have been recovered in other areas in eastern Australia as well as in the Cape Province, Republic of South Africa, and the Republic of Transkei. Although these cultures have several characters in common with F. equiseti, they are not typical of F. equiseti, and are identified here as F. scirpi. The original description of F. scirpi is emended to include only those isolates that produce fusiform, obovoid, allantoid and combinations of these shapes, 0–3-septate microconidia on characteristic polyphialides.

Key Words:

• Fusarium
• taxonomy
• F. chenopodinum
• F. equiseti
• Australia
• South Africa