A new root disease of goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) caused by Cylindrocladium colhounii

Abstract

A new disease of the medicinal herb goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is described. Dried rhizomes and roots of goldenseal, a plant species indigenous to eastern North America, have traditionally been harvested from natural stands and used for medicinal purposes. Recently, growing demand for rhizomes has led to the cultivation of H. canadensis under plastic shade cloth. Commercial plantings of this crop in Ontario, Canada, were observed to be severely affected by a previously unreported root disease. A fungus isolated from diseased roots was shown to be pathogenic to H. canadensis. Morphological and genetic-sequence data established that the causal agent was Cylindrocladium colhounii. This is the first report of a Cylindrocladium sp. affecting H. canadensis. © 2004, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.