Corn smut is a plant disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Mycosarcoma maydis. One of several cereal crop pathogens called smut, the fungus forms galls on all above-ground parts of corn species such as maize and teosinte. The infected corn is edible; in Mexico, it is considered a delicacy, called huitlacoche, often eaten as a filling in quesadillas and other tortilla-based dishes, as well as in soups.
Byblis is a small genus of carnivorous plants, sometimes termed the rainbow plants for the attractive appearance of their mucilage-covered leaves in bright sunshine. Native to Australia and New Guinea, it is the only genus in the family Byblidaceae. The first species in the genus was described by the English botanist Richard Anthony Salisbury in 1808. Eight species are now recognised.
The smuts are multicellular fungi characterized by their large numbers of teliospores. The smuts get their name from a Germanic word for 'dirt' because of their dark, thick-walled, and dust-like teliospores. They are mostly Ustilaginomycetes and comprise seven of the 15 orders of the subphylum. Most described smuts belong to two orders, Ustilaginales and Tilletiales. The smuts are normally grouped with the other basidiomycetes because of their commonalities concerning sexual reproduction.
Ustilago is a genus of approximately 200 smut fungi, which are parasitic on grasses. 170 species are accepted by Wijayawardene et al. 2020; After phylogenetic research certain species in Ustilago, Macalpinomyces, and other genera in the Ustilaginaceae clade have been moved to other genera like Mycosarcoma.
Sugarcane smut is a fungal disease of sugarcane caused by the fungus Sporisorium scitamineum. The disease is known as culmicolous, which describes the outgrowth of fungus of the stalk on the cane. It attacks several sugarcane species and has been reported to occur on a few other grass species as well, but not to a critical amount. The most recognizable characteristic of this disease is a black or gray growth that is referred to as a "smut whip". Resistance to sugarcane smut is the best course of action for management, but also the use of disease free seed is important. On smaller scale operations treatments using hot water and removing infected plants can be effective. The main mode of spore dispersal is the wind but the disease also spreads through the use of infected cuttings. Sugarcane smut is a devastating disease in sugarcane growing areas globally.
Byblis aquatica is an insectivorous plant belonging to the genus Byblis, commonly known as the rainbow plants. It was described by Allen Lowrie and John Godfrey Conran in 1998, assigned to a group of annual north Australian species known as the "Byblis liniflora complex". It grows in semi-aquatic conditions and uses stalked mucilaginous glands covering its leaf surfaces to attract, catch, and digest insect prey to supplement the poor environmental nutrient supply.
Thecaphora is a genus of basidiomycote fungus which contains several species of plant pathogens. The widespread genus contained about 57 species in 2008. and held 61 species in 2020.
Byblis filifolia is a species of plant in the Byblidaceae family. It is endemic to Australia.
Byblis gigantea, commonly known as rainbow plant, is a carnivorous species of plant in the Byblidaceae family. It is endemic to Australia.
Byblis liniflora is a species of carnivorous plant in the family Byblidaceae. It is found in Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.
Acaena rorida is a species of mat-forming perennial plant known only from grassy uplands on the Mangaohane Plateau in the northwestern part of the Ruahine Range in the North Island of New Zealand.
Byblis lamellata is a carnivorous plant in the Byblidaceae family. It is endemic to Australia.
Byblis guehoi is a species of carnivorous plant in the genus Byblis. It is a compact species and is tetraploid. It was described in 2008 by Allen Lowrie and John Godfrey Conran. It is endemic to the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Ageratina riparia, commonly known as mistflower, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Mexico. The species is widely adventive and has spread to Cuba, Jamaica, and other parts of the Caribbean. It has also been introduced as an ornamental plant and naturalized in a variety of regions, including parts of Hawaii, South Africa, Southeast Asia, Macaronesia, Oceania, Peru, and the Indian subcontinent. In tropical climates, A. riparia is highly invasive and a variety of control methods have been developed to reduce its spread.
Australia has one of the world's richest carnivorous plant floras, with around 187 recognised species from 6 genera.
Yelsemia is a genus of smut fungi in the family Melanotaeniaceae, containing four species.
Kálmán Géza Vánky was a Hungarian mycologist with Swedish and Hungarian citizenship, who lived in Germany. He was considered to be the worldwide authority on the subject of smut fungi and has dominated the taxonomic study of Ustilaginomycetes for at least the past four decades.
Campion is an abandoned townsite in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, located in the Shire of Nungarin on the Koorda–Bullfinch Road. It is situated within the locality of Chandler, with the closest town being Mukinbudin.
Knipowitschia byblisia, the Byblis goby, is a species of ray-finned fish from the family Gobiidae which is endemic to Lake Köycegiz in western Anatolia near the Aegean Sea. The lake is protected and the species is abundant within the lake so the IUCN have classified K. byblis as Least Concern. The specific name references the mythological figure Byblis, who was the twin sister of Caunos, the legendary founder of the ancient city Kaunos, the ruins of which are situated on the southwest Anatolian coast; near to Lake Köycegiz.
Byblis pilbarana is a carnivorous species of plant in the family Byblidaceae. It is found in Western Australia.
