CSIRO PUBLISHING www.publish.csiro.au/journals/apdn Australasian Plant Disease Notes, 2008, 3, 5–7 Natural infection of Acalypha hispida and Jatropha podagrica inflorescences by Amphobotrys ricini in Brazil B. V. Lima A , D. J. Soares A,B , O. L. Pereira A and R. W. Barreto A A Departamento de Fitopatologia, Universidade Federal de Vic ¸osa, Vic ¸osa, MG 36570-000, Brazil. B Corresponding author. Email: dartjs@yahoo.com.br Abstract. Amphobotrys ricini is recorded for the first time causing natural blight on inflorescences of the ornamental euphorbiaceous hosts Acalypha hispida and Jatropha podagrica in Brazil. Acalypha hispida Willd., popularly known as ‘red hot cat’s tail’ or ‘chenille plant’ is a semiherbaceous shrub that belongs to the Euphorbiaceae and is native to India and the South Pacific Islands. Jatropha podagrica Hook., popularly known as ‘goutystalk nettlespurge’ or ‘Buddha belly plant’, is a small shrub with a swollen stem near the base, which is native to Central America and Antilles and also belongs to the Euphorbiaceae. Both are widely used as ornamental plants in Brazil and abroad (Lorenzi and Souza 1999). Between November 2006 and April 2007, blighted inflorescences of Fig. 1. Left top: Inflorescences of Acalypha hispida showing the blighted areas attacked by Amphobotrys ricini; Left bottom: Detail of an A. hispida inflorescence showing grey mould; Right top and bottom: Blighted Jatropha podagrica inflorescences showing fungal colonies. A. hispida were observed in Vic ¸osa, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Later (May 2007), inflorescences of J. podagrica were also observed to have similar symptoms. In both cases the diseased parts showed a grey powdery mass and were constantly associated with a Botrytis-like fungus (Fig. 1). The fungus was isolated directly from diseased tissue, on Vegetal Broth Agar (VBA, Pereira et al. 2003) and based on its morphology [conidiophores cylindrical, up to 1000 μm long, about half height bifurcate at a wide angle, secondary branches almost symmetrical; terminal conidiogenous cells developing © Australasian Plant Pathology Society 2008 10.1071/DN08003 1833-928X/08/010005