Salmacisia

Salmacisia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Division:
Basidiomycota
Class:
Exobasidiomycetes
Order:
Tilletiales
Family:
Tilletiaceae
Genus:
Salmacisia

D.R.Huff & A.Chandra (2008)
Type species
Salmacisia buchloëana
(Kellerm. & Swingle) D.R.Huff & A.Chandra (2008)
Synonyms
  • Tilletia buchloëana Kellerm. & Swingle (1889)
The middle panel shows male buffalograss flowers infected with S. buchloëana. Uninfected female flowers (left) and male flowers (right) show the typical morphology of buffalograss' sexes.

Salmacisia is a fungal genus in the family Tilletiaceae. It is a monotypic genus, containing the single species Salmacisia buchloëana, first described as Tilletia buchloëana in 1889, and renamed in 2008.[1] Plants infected by the fungus undergo a phenomenon known as "parasitically induced hermaphroditism", whereby ovary development is induced in otherwise male plants.[1] Because of the pistil-inducing effects of the fungus, the authors have named the species pistil smut; it is the only species in the order Tilletiales known to have hermaphroditic effects.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Chandra2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).