Entyloma ageratinae, commonly known as the mist flower smut, is a leaf smut fungus and plant pathogen widely employed as a biological herbicide in the control of the invasive plant Ageratina riparia. The pathogen was first identified in Jamaica in 1974 and was isolated as a distinct species in 1988. E. ageratinae has been the most effective and widely implemented biological control of A. riparia. The fungus was first identified by scientists searching for a naturally occurring biological control in Jamaica. Specimens were then transported to Hawaii, where they were examined and trialled as a control agent. After the species’ proven success at weakening A. riparia populations, it was implemented in wide reaching projects in Hawaii and New Zealand. The pathogen is now endemic to populations in Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and to a lesser extent, in South Africa.
No narrative description available for this taxon yet.
