First record of Exobasidium rhododendri (Fuckel) C. E. Cramer in Poland

Abstract

We report here the first wild locality of Exobasidium rhododendri (Fuckel) C. E. Cramer in Poland. This peculiar species is an obligatory pathogenic basidiomycete, which induces formation of galls on leaves of Rhododendron. It was found for the first time in Poland in 2017 on Rhododendron ferrugineum L. plants in a population of this shrub in the Karkonosze Mts (the Sudetes range). The species was recently shown to be native and a relict. We also present a basic description of the species based on the specimens from the abovementioned locality.