Cytospora from Salix in northern China

Fungal specimens from Salix causing willow Cytospora canker in northern China were evaluated through morphological observation and phylogenetic analysis. They were identified as four species - C. rostrata sp. nov., C. nivea, C. chrysosperma, and Valsa populina. Cytospora rostrata is a new beaked species parasitizing Salix cupularis in Gansu Province, China. It is morphologically distinguished from other Cytospora species by its fruiting bodies with a single locule and a thorn-like beak. Molecular evidence obtained from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region also suggests that C. rostrata represents a distinct lineage within Cytospora. This is the first Chinese record of C. nivea on Salix.