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First Report of Daylily Rust Caused by Puccinia hemerocallidis in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

Rust symptoms were first observed on daylily plants (Hemerocallis spp.) during February 2007 in a garden near Paarl in the Western Cape (WC) Province of South Africa. Another occurrence was found during November 2007 on daylily plants in a garden near Franschhoek (WC). Upon further investigation, diseased daylily plants were found during February 2008 in nurseries in Stellenbosch, Buffeljagsrivier, and George (WC). The cultivars that have been infected include Laura Lane, Anna Mae Hager, and Russian Rhapsody. Symptoms included yellow-to-brown streaks on the leaves. Leaves had small chlorotic spots on the adaxial side, and on the abaxial side, were many small orange-to-yellow erumpent pustules with yellow-to-orange, pulverulent urediniospores. The rust fungus was identified as Puccinia hemerocallidis Thüm. The morphology matches that given in Hernández et al. (1). Urediniospores were globose to ellipsoid with yellow contents and measured 22 to 31 × 16 to 26 μm (mean 25.5 × 22 μm, n = 25). Spore walls were echinulate, hyaline, 2 to 3 μm thick, and with obscure germ pores. No teliospores were observed. Herbarium specimens have been lodged in the South African National Fungus Collection in Pretoria (PREM 59814, 59855, and 59856). The alternative host, Patrinia spp., is not endemic to South Africa and according to several nurseries in the WC, also not sold. P. hemerocallidis has previously been reported from eastern Asia, the United States, and Costa Rica (1,2). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. hemerocallidis on daylilies in South Africa.

References: (1) J. R. Hernandez et al. Plant Dis. 86:1194, 2002. (2) J. L. Williams-Woodward et al. Plant Dis. 85:1121, 2001.