First report of Sphaeropsis canker on cypress in South Africa

Summary In this study a Sphaeropsis sp. is recorded as causing cankers on cypress in South Africa. These cankers are either found alone or on trees which are infected with the well‐known cypress canker pathogen, Seiridium unicorne. When the two fungi occurred together, lesions could not be distinguished from each other, although the greater number of lesions were caused by the Sphaeropsis sp. The fungus appears to be identical to that described as Sphaeropsis sapinea f.sp. cupressi, in Israel, which is a fungus very different from the pine pathogen, Sphaeropsis sapinea. Pathogenicity tests showed that the Sphaeropsis sp. is significantly more pathogenic to Cupressus lusitanica than to Pinus roxburgii and Pinus elliottii. S. sapinea was pathogenic only to the Pinus spp. tested, and not to C. lusitanica. In contrast, the cypress pathogen Seiridium unicorne, was pathogenic to C. lusitanica and also to the two Pinus spp. tested.