''Puccinia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

. All species in this genus are obligate

plant pathogens Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomyc ...

and are known as rusts. The genus contains about 4000 species. The genus name of ''Puccinia'' is in honour of Tommaso Puccini (died 1735), who was an Italian doctor and botanist who taught Anatomy at

Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova The Hospital of Santa Maria Nuova (i.e. ''Ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova'' in Italian) is the oldest hospital still active in Florence, Italy. History and artistic profile Origins The hospital was founded in 1288 by Folco Portinari, the father ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

. The genus was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every polyg ...

Pier Antonio Micheli Pier Antonio Micheli (December 11, 1679 – January 1, 1737) was a noted Italian botanist, professor of botany in Pisa, curator of the Orto Botanico di Firenze, author of ''Nova plantarum genera iuxta Tournefortii methodum disposita''. He discove ...

in Nov. Pl. Gen. on page 213 in 1729.

Taxonomy

Examples of ''Puccinia'' rusts and the diseases they cause: * '' Puccinia asparagi'' - Asparagus rust * ''

Puccinia graminis Stem rust, also known as cereal rust, black rust, red rust or red dust, is caused by the fungus ''Puccinia graminis'', which causes significant disease in cereal crops. Crop species that are affected by the disease include bread wheat, durum ...

'' - Stem rust, also known as black rust * '' Puccinia horiana'' - Chrysanthemum white rust * '' Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae'' - Spring beauty rust * '' Puccinia poarum'' - Coltsfoot rust gall * ''

Puccinia psidii ''Austropuccinia psidii'', commonly known as myrtle rust, guava rust, or ʻōhiʻa rust; is a rust (a type of plant pathogen) native to South America that affects plants in the family Myrtaceae. It is a member of the fungal complex called the g ...

'' - Guava rust or eucalyptus rust * '' Puccinia recondita'' - Brown rust * ''

Puccinia sessilis ''Puccinia sessilis'' is a fungal plant pathogen, also known as arum rust or ramsons rust. It commonly infects ''Arum maculatum'' and ''Allium ursinum'' causing yellow to orange circular patches on leaves. On the underside it produces raised ora ...

'' - Arum rust and Ransoms rust * '' Puccinia striiformis'' - Stripe rust, also known as yellow rust * ''

Puccinia triticina Wheat leaf rust (''Puccinia triticina'') is a fungal disease that affects wheat, barley, rye stems, leaves and grains. In temperate zones it is destructive on winter wheat because the pathogen overwinters. Infections can lead up to 20% yield ...

'' - Wheat leaf rust, also known as brown rust * ''

Puccinia punctiformis ''Puccinia'' is a genus of fungi. All species in this genus are obligate plant pathogens and are known as rusts. The genus contains about 4000 species. The genus name of ''Puccinia'' is in honour of Tommaso Puccini (died 1735), who was an Itali ...

'' - Canada thistle rust The rust species ''Puccinia obtegens'' has shown some promise for controlling

Canada thistle ''Cirsium arvense'' is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere.Joint Nature Conservation Committee''Cirsium arvense'' The standa ...

, but it must be used in conjunction with other control measures to be effective. Another leaf rust species, ''

Puccinia myrsiphylli ''Puccinia myrsiphylli'' is a rust fungus in the genus ''Puccinia'', family Pucciniaceae, and is native to South Africa. It has been tested, introduced, and targeted in Australia and New Zealand as an effective biocontrol agent for ''Asparagus as ...

'', has been used as an effective biocontrol agent for infestations of the common form of bridal creeper (''

Asparagus asparagoides ''Asparagus asparagoides'', commonly known as bridal creeper, bridal-veil creeper, ''gnarboola'', smilax or smilax asparagus, is a herbaceous climbing plant of the family Asparagaceae native to eastern and southern Africa. Sometimes grown as an ...

'') in Australia since 2000.Biosecurity SA : Weeds and pest animals Bridal Creeper Policy
Accessed 1 September 2014.

References

External links

A collection of information regarding ''Puccinia psidii''
��particularly with respect to its presence in Hawaii * - A collection of references to other genomics resources, on stem,

yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the ...

, and

leaf A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...

rusts. Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Taxa named by Christiaan Hendrik Persoon Basidiomycota genera {{plant-disease-stub