Claviceps purpurea

Claviceps purpurea
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Ascomycota
Class:	Sordariomycetes
Order:	Hypocreales
Family:	Clavicipitaceae
Genus:	Claviceps
Species:	C. purpurea
Binomial name
	Claviceps purpurea; (Fr.) Tul. 1853
Ecological races
	G1 — land grasses of open meadows and fields;; G2 — grasses from moist, forest, and mountain habitats;; G3 (C. purpurea var. spartinae) — salt marsh grasses (Spartina, Distichlis).;

Claviceps purpurea is an ergot fungus that grows on the ears of rye and related cereal and forage plants. Consumption of grains or seeds contaminated with the survival structure of this fungus, the ergot sclerotium, can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals. C. purpurea most commonly affects outcrossing species such as rye (its most common host), as well as triticale, wheat and barley. It affects oats only rarely.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.