Verruconis Panacis Sp Nov., An Endophyte Isolated From Panax Notoginseng

An endophytic strain (designated as strain SYPF 8337(Tau)) was isolated from the root of 3-year-old Panax notoginseng in Yunnan province of China Strain SYPF 8337(Tau) grew slowly and formed pale brown to brown colonies. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that strain SYPF 8337(Tau) was placed in the Verruconis clade. Different from other Verruconis species, strain SYPF 8337(Tau) produced four-cell conidia. Furthermore, strain SYPF 8337(Tau) is the first fungus isolated as an endophyte of P notoginseng in the genus Verruconis. Combined with the morphology and molecular analyses, a new species named Verruconis panacis sp. nov. is proposed.