Sweetfern blister rust
- French disease name: Rouille-tumeur noduleuse
- Pathogen name: Cronartium comptoniae Arth.
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Phylum: Basidiomycota
- Class: Pucciniomycetes
- Order: Pucciniales
- Family: Cronartiaceae
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Partial list of synonyms:
- Peridermium comptoniae Orton & J.F. Adams
Distribution
Canada
Damage, symptoms and biology
The fungus commonly infects jack pine seedlings or saplings. It causes swelling of the bark and the wood. The affected bark ends up rupturing, and this kills the tree. The fungus has several different stages of spores. A first type of fruiting body can be seen on the lower part of the bole of infected trees near the end of spring. The fruiting bodies are the most obvious sing of the disease. They produce swellings or nodules on the bole bark, which release orange spores. These spores end up infecting a small plant, called sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina (L.) Coulter). On this host, the fungus produces two new types of fruiting bodies. The most important type appears on the lower surface of needles as small thread-like structures. The spores discharged by these fruiting bodies infect new shoots of jack pine trees.
Other information
As they age, trees tolerate the presence of nodules on their bole; however, the pustules can serve as points of entry for decay fungi.
Canadian Forest Service Publications
Information on host(s)
Main host(s)
Austrian pine, jack pine, lodgepole pine, Monterey pine, mugo pine, ponderosa pine, scots pine, shore pine, sweet-fern
Photos
Fruiting bodies on the bark
Richard Porrelier
Fruiting bodies on the bark
Richard Porrelier
Aeciospores of C. comptoniae
David Lai
Myrica gale, the telial host of C. comptoniae
Eric Allen
Aecia of Cronartium comptoniae on the main stem and branches of Monterey pine
Nick Humphries
Hypertrophied ridges characteristic of C. comptoniae cankers
Richard Reich
A cross section of a jack pine stem infected with Cronartium comptoniae, the causal agent of sweet fern blister rust. Note the stem distortion caused by this rust fungus.
Fruiting of Cronartium comptoniae, the cause of sweet fern blister rust, on the alternate host, sweet fern leaves.
A stem canker on jack pine caused by Cronartium comptoniae, the causal agent of sweet fern blister rust. Note the swellings with orange fruiting bodies on them.