Anatomical Studies of Bladders of Sultan Plums Caused by Taphrina Pruni

Abstract

Many species of parasitic fungi belonging to the genus Taphrina (Exoascus) cause various kinds of deformation or profuse development of tissue in aerial parts of plants, especially in Rosaceae: for example, witches broom of cherry tree twigs caused by Taphrina cerasi (Fkl.) Sadeb.; peach leaf curl caused by T. deformans (Berk.) Tulasne; and bladder plums, hollow, hypertrophied, abnormal young plums caused by T. pruni (Fkl.) Tul. Taphrina pruni was first reported in New Zealand by Kirk in 1896. Since then very little has been done on the disease except by Cunningham in 1923. It has therefore been difficult to obtain relevant information concerning the life cycle, and no previous study has been made of the anatomy of the bladder.