Thecaphora seminis-convolvuli (Desmazières) Ito, 1935
on Calystegia, Convolvulus

Calystegia sepium, England, Berks, VC 22 © Malcolm Storey, bioImages

Calystegia silvatica, England, Berks, VC 22 © Malcolm Storey, bioImages. This is the anamorphic stage of the infection, when conidia are formed.

Calystegia sepium, Belgium, prov. Flemish Brabant, Zichem, de Demerbroeken © Carina Van Steenwinkel: galled seed, opened

spore balls

detail
Calystegia sepium, Belgium, prov. Limbourg, Wellen, Broekbeemd, 5.vii.2022 © Carina Van Steenwinkel: section through a young infected ovary
detail
spores
opened flower with anther infected by the anamorphic stage
detail
spores of the anamorphic stage
detail
gall
flowers small, anthers swollen; contents of one or more seeds in the capsule is transformed into a granular-powdery reddish brown mass of spores.
host plants
Convolvulaceae, narrowly oligophagous
Calystegia sepium, silvatica, soldanella; Convolvulus arvensis.
synonyms
“Thecaphora passeriniana (Cocc.) Cif.”: Brandenburger.
notes
Malcolm writes on his site: “This smut may be found either by searching for flowers with swollen anthers, or by bursting the ripe capsules with your fingers, from late August onwards and looking for dark dusty seeds. Beware that the large ripe seeds are black and when half-ripe they can look as though they are covered in dust, but a true infection will produce copious spore dust from large lesions on the seeds. Infected host flowers stay open into the evening after uninfected flowers have closed for the night.”
references
Ainsworth & Sampson (1950a), Brandenburger (1985a: 514), Buhr (1964b), Dauphin & Aniotsbehere (1997a), Jage, Klenke, Kruse ao (2016a), Klenke (2002a), Klenke & Scholler (2015a), Kruse (2019a), Kruse & Jage (2014a), Kruse, Kummer, Shivas & Thines (2018c), Redfern & Shirley (2011a), Savchenko & Heluta (2012a), Scholz & Scholz (2013a, Tomasi (2012a, 2014a), Vanderweyen & Fraiture (2014a), Vánky (1994a, 2012a), Vánky, Lutz & Bauer (2008b), Woods, Chater, Smith ao (2018a).