| Erysiphe platani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Sycamore powdery mildew, Western Cape, South Africa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Leotiomycetes |
| Order: | Erysiphales |
| Family: | Erysiphaceae |
| Genus: | Erysiphe |
| Species: | E. platani |
| Binomial name | |
| Erysiphe platani (Howe) U.Braun & S.Takam. (2000) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Erysiphe platani, also known as sycamore powdery mildew, is a fungus native to North America that now infects sycamore tree species worldwide. [2] Infections may spread rapidly in urban settings with large groups of young trees or in plant nurseries. [3] This mildew thrives when there are high humidity conditions during the growing season. [4]
Symptomatic trees show leaf discoloration and puckering as the mildew spreads across buds and leaf surfaces. [5] The most visible effects, which include "leaf curling, stunting, and distortion," [6] appear on vulnerable newly emerged leaves. [4] This infection only appears on leaves, it has no obvious effect on stems and branches. [5] Fertilization and pollarding increase the number of young shoots, which are the parts of the trees most vulnerable to infection. [6]