Pycnia of Juniper-hawthorn rust fungus ...

The microscopic image shows a cluster of pycnia, the fruiting bodies of Gymnosporangium globosum, the fungus responsible for Juniper-hawthorn rust. The pycnia are brown and elongated, with one larger structure visible in the center-right of the image.

**Image Details**

* **Background**: The background is white.
* **Focal Point**: A cluster of pycnia from an upper leaf surface of a littlehip hawthorn (Crataegus spathulata) collected on Richards Loop Trail in Sam Houston National Forest, Texas.
* **Magnification**: The image appears to be magnified approximately 400x.

**Analysis**

The brown coloration and elongated shape of the pycnia are consistent with Gymnosporangium globosum. This species is known to infect juniper and hawthorn plants in North America, causing rust disease. – AI vision