Ergot "C. lutea" (on paspalum). "C. purpurea" most commonly affects outcrossing species such as rye (its most common host), as well as triticale, wheat, and barley. It affects oats only rarely. "C. purpurea" has at least three races or varieties, which differ in their host specificity: An ergot kernel, called a "sclerotium", develops when a spore of fungal species of the genus "Claviceps" infects a floret of flowering grass or cereal. The infection process mimics a pollen grain growing into an ovary during fertilization. Infection requires that the fungal spore have access to the stigma; consequently, plants infected by "Claviceps" are
Resting spore Resting spore A resting spore is a resistant cell, used to survive adverse environmental conditions. Resting spore is a term commonly applied to both diatoms and fungi. A resting spore can be a spore created by fungi which is thickly encysted (has a thick cell wall) in order to survive through stressful times, such as drought. It protects the spore from biotic (microbial, fungal viral), as well as abiotic (wind, heat, xeric conditions) factors. It is found in "Anabaena". Resting spores of a particular fungus are known create the phenomenon known as late potato blight. They can lie dormant within