Asexual morph and molecular phylogeny of Phyllactinia rhoina on Choerospondias axillaris

Choerospondias axillaris (Anacardiaceae) is a fast-growing tree species with edible wild fruits, used as pioneer tree for reforestation in south China. Fruits, leaves and bark are utilized for diverse culinary and pharmaceutical purposes. In December 2019, C. axillaris infected by powdery mildew was collected in Lianhuashan Park (117.01 degrees E, 25.10 degrees N), Fujian, China. The disease affected approximately 50-60%, which severely influenced the yield and quality of the infected trees. Based on morphological and molecular analyses, the causal agent was identified as Phyllactinia rhoina. As far as we are aware, this is the first detailed description of the asexual morph for this species and the first complete molecular phylogeny inferred from ITS and 28S rDNA gene sequences. The information may be helpful for disease monitoring purposes of C. axillaris for growers.