The teleomorph of <i>Chalara fraxinea</i>, the causal agent of ash dieback

Abstract

Summary Ash dieback, caused by the pathogen Chalara fraxinea , is an emerging lethal disease of Fraxinus excelsior , threatening the host species in large parts of Europe. The ascomycete Hymenoscyphus albidus (Helotiaceae, Helotiales) was identified as the teleomorph of C. fraxinea by culturing from ascospores, morphological comparison and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing.