First record of Exobasidium rhododendri (Fuckel) C. E. Cramer in Poland

Abstract

We report here the first wild locality of <em>Exobasidium rhododendri</em> (Fuckel) C. E. Cramer in Poland. This peculiar species is an obligatory pathogenic basidiomycete, which induces formation of galls on leaves of <em>Rhododendron</em>. It was found for the first time in Poland in 2017 on <em>Rhododendron ferrugineum</em> L. plants in a population of this shrub in the Karkonosze Mts (the Sudetes range). The species was recently shown to be native and a relict. We also present a basic description of the species based on the specimens from the abovementioned locality.