| Ceratocystis platani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Canker stain of plane | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Sordariomycetes |
| Order: | Microascales |
| Family: | Ceratocystidaceae |
| Genus: | Ceratocystis |
| Species: | C. platani |
| Binomial name | |
| Ceratocystis platani (J.M.Walter) Engelbr. & T.C.Harr. (2005) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Ceratocystis platani is afungus that causes a disease onplane trees in the genusPlatanus, mostly in North America and Southern Europe.
Ceratocystis platani is believed to be native to southeastern USA.[1] The fungus was previously considered to be part of theCeratocystis fimbriata speciescomplex asCeratocystis fimbriata f.platani.[2] It was elevated to the level of species in 2005.[1]
Ceratocystis platani causes a disease inplane trees known as "Canker stain of plane" (UK English) or "Canker of sycamore" (US English).[2]
The disease is caused by the phytotoxincerato-platanin, which occurs in the cell wall ofC. platani, as well as other Dikarya, and is involved in molecular fungus-host interactions.[3]
Oriental plane (Platanus orientalis) is considered highly susceptible to the fungus; American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) probably coevolved with the fungus and is relatively resistant, while the hybrid London plane (Platanus × hispanica) is generally intermediate in resistance between its parents.[4] The fungus is a wound parasite which rapidly infects plane trees, causing disruption of water movement, cankers and eventually death.[4] Cankers on the tree trunk are characterised by necrosis of inner bark and bluish-black to reddish-brown discolouration of sapwood.[4] The disease can cause sudden death of a portion of the crown, and trees of 30–40 cm diameter may die within 2–3 years of infection.[4]
The disease was first reported in the USA in 1935 affectingPlatanus × hispanica. In subsequent years the disease was reported in most Atlantic seaboard states. It was subsequently observed in plantations and in natural forests ofPlatanus occidentalis. The disease has also been reported in California.[2] InPhiladelphia the disease had killed 10,000 out of a total 150,000 trees by 1945.[2] InGloucester, New Jersey, 87% of London planes had died by 1949.[2]
The disease was first found in Europe inMarseille, France, in 1945, and is believed to have been transported there by US troops duringOperation Dragoon towards the end ofWorld War II. The pathogen is now present in most ofItaly.[2] It has also been reported inSpain,Switzerland,Greece,Iran, andArmenia.[2] In Italy and the south-east of France the disease has caused serious losses.[2] In Marseille, where the first phase of infection started in 1945, 1850 Plane trees were killed between 1960 and 1972 (about 13% of the initial population).[2] AtForte dei Marmi, one of the oldest infection centres in Italy, 90% of all plane trees died of the disease in the twenty-year period from 1972-1991.[2]
Ceratocystis platani was first detected in Greece in 2003.[2] Since then, hundreds of dead and dying trees have been found along streams and rivers in southwestern Greece, and many ornamental trees have died in residential and recreational areas.[4]
In 2006C. platani was identified as the cause of plane tree death along theCanal du Midi, a UNESCO world heritage site in France.[4] The canal is lined with around 42,000 plane trees and up to 2011, around 2,500 trees had been felled, destroyed and replaced with disease-resistant planes.[4]
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