MELODERMA Darker. Rhytismataceae. 1 Ukrainian species on Pinus.

Meloderma desmazieresii (Duby) Darker [click here for picture]. Status. Introduced, 11 records since May 1910; known in Ukraine from a small number of locations where it has varied from being abundant to occurring apparently in very small numbers; most records are from arboreta or experimental forestry plantations where it has probably been introduced with a North American species of Pinus. Months. May, June. Regions. Poltava, Ternopil, Zakarpatska. Habitat. Pinus cembra, Pinus strobus; on secondary needles. Notes. Probably inhabiting living leaves as a symptomless endophyte; fruiting on dead needles, sometimes in the litter, more often and very typically in clusters on dead twigs still attached to living trees, where it may sometimes be implicated in premature death of the needles; the abandoning of its main associated organism, Pinus strobus, as a possible economic forest tree by European forestry, because of white pine blister rust, has meant Meloderma desmazieresii has very few suitable plants in Ukraine on which to grow. Worldwide. On secondary needles of 5-needle Pinus mainly of North American origin, very occasionally also on secondary needles of 2- or 3-needle Pinus; native and frequently recorded in North America; widespread and not uncommon as an introduction in Europe, Asia, Australasia and South America. References. Minter & Gibson (1978) [description]; Minter & Dudka (1996) [Ukrainian records]; Morochovskii, Zerova, Lavitskaya & Smitskaya (1969) [Ukrainian records].