A new fungus on Cyperus iria

Abstract

Duosporium cyperi gen. et sp. nov., collected on Cyperus iria Linn., is characterized by the production of 2 types of conidia, macroconidia and microconidia. The macroconidia are straight, cylindrical, triseptate, with their middle cells dark brown, long, thick-walled, and end cells much paler or subhyaline, short, thin-walled, the middle and the end cells being equally wide. The microconidia are nonseptate, spherical, dark brown, prominently verrucose, and produced apically on the conidiophores like the macroconidia; occasionally also formed as secondary conidia on germinating 3-septate macroconidia in culture. The formation of 2 distinct types of conidia in Duosporium and the features of its macroconidia characteristically differentiate it from its close relative Helminthosporium, although Duosporium cyperi is not unique among fungi in producing 2 types of conidia.