Kingdom Fungi Rank Species | Genus Microbotryum Phylum Basidiomycota | |
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Similar Silene latifolia, Ustilago, Microbotryaceae, Covered smut, Silene dioica | ||
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.
References
Microbotryum violaceum Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA