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Dear JennyS – very sorry for the late reply to your rust finds (entirely due to incompetence on my part) but your finds are very significant indeed. Both rusts are rare and the one on Red Valerian a recent coloniser to our shores. Exceptional records – well done. If you get this post it will be a miracle of science! N
Hi Mark – yes – there are 2 Phragmidium species on Bramble and looking at your photos I see that the teliospores are mainly 4 celled so it is P. violaceum. P. bulbosum has mainly 6 celled teliospores so as others have commented – you have to be a little careful. Hi Mark/Mike, Yes – well done to MykoGolfer. Should we all take up golf in an attempt to be successful in finding this elusive rust. Mark – I’ve been to all the opencast sites here and looked at the Pyrola but no luck even though there are carpets of the stuff indicating that the plants weren’t infected when they were brought in.
I’m sure the rust is at Oxwich or Whitford dunes near you as these have classic slacks within the complex.
Nigel
Hi folks – replying to Adam, Chris and Mark all in one go because I don’t know how to do it by individual! Firstly – Chris – I can’t get the link to work either
Secondly – Adam – looks like Phragmidium violaceum again but to be absolutely sure you have to look at the ornamentation of the spores and wall thickness.
Thirdly – Mark – you are correct – I have been fortunate in that Arthur Chater has sent me over the years many microspecies of Rubus which have been confirmed by a Rubus referee. From memory, there doesn’t seem to be a preferential host for Phr. violaceum or bulbosum (unless I’ve messed up the ID of the rust) The list of microspecies is extensive and is in Appendix 2 of the RDL.
Hope all this helps.
PS Adam – if you want me to look at any of your rusts, collect a leaf or two, place in envelope, press with a book for a week and they should keep for a long time. Give your packets to David H (PFRN) to give to me or if you are desperate get my address from him and send on. No need for sae – reply by email
N
Can I echo the words of Chris re the exciting phase we are in where we now (at last) have a the possibility of many enthusiasts networking together in relation to our special interest groups. All this is due to Adam ‘Pembs’ who set up the system – thanks Adam from all of us who have waited years for such a system. It is very encouraging also to see that many ‘new’ inexperienced mycologists are taking up a particular species group for this first time and they are not afraid to post blogs for fear of error in identification. Praise also to Chris and Mike for providing their expert opinions, very professional illustrated replies which helps all of us, experienced and inexperienced individuals. good photo never-the-less. A little early to pick up the rust on an alternate host although the spores from the aecia will be dispersing at this time. Usually takes about a fortnight for things to happen so in a month you will have a better chance of seeing something. What I normally do is look around where the infected nettles grow for a sedge and then revisit. purple colouration could be due to host reaction to parasite and its location. If you look at the stem of the nettles in the hedgerow the side facing the sun is red-purple and the opposite side (facing away from the sun) is green. This is due to pigment production protecting the plant from harmful UV light. Where plants are growing in the middle of a clump the stems are green all the way round because they are more shaded. David Harries of Pembrokeshire sent me some photographs of a rust on a hybrid willow growing in a hedgerow on his small-holding. It is unusual to have a rust this early on willows but as one can see from the picture of the urediniospore it is pear-shaped, thin walled and has a smooth apex. This is characteristic of Melampsora salicis-albae which is an uncommon rust (18records on FRDBI and only 8 for Wales). It is normally found on White willow (Salix alba) and is listed as a Red Data List species for Wales.
