Hymenoscyphus ericae: a new record from western Canada

Abstract

The teleomorphic state of the ericoid mycorrhizal Hymenoscyphus ericae is known only from the type deposition. The production of both the teleomorph and anamorph by an isolate recovered from Ledum groenlandicum collected in an acidic peatland in Alberta, Canada, provided an opportunity to describe and illustrate the holomorph for a North American collection as a new record and as a supplement to the original diagnosis. It also provided further evidence that Hymenoscyphus ericae and Scytalidium vaccinii represent states of a single species, a hypothesis that previously had been tested using nuclear ribosomal DNA analysis. Appropriate cultural conditions and the use of molecular markers are advocated in order to facilitate the identification of mycorrhizal isolates which often remain sterile in pure culture.