Rust Fungus Pucciniastrum styracinum on Styrax japonicus in Korea Confirmed by Morphological and Molecular Data

Styrax japonicus is a deciduous shrub or a small tree belonging to the family Styracaceae. Since 1990, a rust fungus has continuously been found on S. japonicus leaves across the country. The morphological characteristics of the rust fungus were most consistent with those of Pucciniastrum styracinum reported on Styrax obassia in Japan. The species identification was confirmed by molecular phylogenetic analysis of the internal transcribed spacer and large subunit rDNA sequences. The current study provides mycological information with morphological measurements and molecular phylogenetic data of P. styracinum found on S. japonicus in Korea. Therefore, this is the first confirmed report on the presence of P. styracinum on S. japonicus in Korea.