The causal agent of coelomycete leaf spot of Paeonia suffruticosa and its synanamorphs

A new Paeonia suffruticosa leaf spot disease firstly reported by Zhang et al.from Henan Province was also observed on the same plants growing in Heze,Jinan,Tai'an and Feicheng etc.of Shandong Province in 2007-2008.The disease can also infect stems and branches of the plant to form grey-whitish and brown-margined spots on which a few black and flattened fructifications scattered.The conidiomata on leaf spots are cupulate whereas those on stem spots are semi-spherical and unostiolate.However,the morphology of the conidiophores,conidiogeneous cells and conidia in these different types of conidiomata are very similar.The 7 isolates from stem spots and 21 ones from leaf spots are also similar in cultural and biological characteristics as well as pathogenicity.Based on morphological observation and rDNA-ITS sequence analysis,the pathogen on leaf spots was identified as Hainesia lythri,while that on stem spots as Pilidium concavum.They are synanamorphs of the same fungus Discohainesia oenotherae.