Disease Note.

New Suscepts of Exobasidium camelliae, the Camellia Leaf Gall Fungus. L. W. Baxter, Jr., Department of Plant Pathology and Physiology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0377. S. G. Fagan, and S. B. Segars. Department of Plant Pathology and Physiology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-0377.. Plant Dis. 72:79. Accepted for publication 14 September 1987. Copyright 1988 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-72-0079B.

Leaf gall, caused by Exobasidium camelliae var. gracilis Shirai, is a common disease of Camellia sasanqua Thunb. and an occasional malady of C. japonica L. (I). Hybrids and backcross hybrids between C. sasanqua and C. japonica with 2n chromosome numbers of 45,60, or 75 are as susceptible as C. sasanqua cultivars (2n = 90). The cultivars Valley Knudsen (C. saluenensis Stapf ex Bean X C. reticulata Lindl. 'Budda') and Debbie (C. saluenensis X C.japonica 'Debutante') are two of several hybrids recently found to be susceptible to the leaf gall fungus, as were several seedlings of a new species, C. oleifera Abel. Leaf galls occurred less frequently on C. japonica, C. oleifera, and hybrids than on C. sasanqua, on which they are unsightly and can cause unshapely plants. E. c. var. gracilis isolates from these plants appeared identical in culture.

Reference: (I) F. T. Wolf and F. A. Wolf. Phytopathology 42:147, 1952.