Work

Morphological and Phylogenetic Characterization of Five Unrecorded Endophytic Fungal Species from Woody Plants in Korea

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Endophytic fungi were isolated from woody plants collected in Korea, and five species were identified as unrecorded species in Korea: Keithomyces apolzaniae, Muyocopron ficinum, Nagrajchalara neonawawii, Neodidymelliopsis negundinis, and Purimyces endophyticus. The isolates were obtained from the roots or twigs of Rhododendron mucronulatum, Corylus heterophylla, and Taxus cuspidata. Species identification was based on cultural and microscopic characteristics together with multilocus phylogenetic analyses using different combinations of ITS, LSU, SSU, TUB2, and RPB2 sequences, depending on the taxon. The isolates generally showed morphological characteristics consistent with previous descriptions and clustered with reference strains of the corresponding species in maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analyses. These findings add five endophytic fungal species to the Korean mycobiota and expand current knowledge of fungal diversity associated with woody plants.

Source: Mycobiology

DOI: 10.1080/12298093.2026.2752630

Authors: Tae-Ho Kim, Seong-Eun Kim, Yu-Na Choi, Ahn-Heum Eom

Institution: Korea National University of Education

Language: English

Topic: Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,134

Funders: Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Education, India, National Institute of Biological Resources