Microbotryum violaceum (Pers.) G. Deml & Oberw. 1982

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / pathogen
embedded sorus of Microbotryum violaceum infects and damages live anther of Silene uniflora

Foodplant / pathogen
embedded sorus of Microbotryum violaceum infects and damages live anther of Lychnis flos-cuculi

Foodplant / pathogen
embedded sorus of Microbotryum violaceum infects and damages live anther of Silene nutans

Ustilago violacea (Pers.) Fuckel, Jahrb. Ver. Nat. Nass. 15: 21. 1861
Uredo violacea Pers. Tent. Disp. Fung. 57. 1797. Ustilago antherarum. Fries, Syst. Myc. 3 : 518. 1832.
Sori inconspicuous, filling swollen anthers, soon rupturing and disclosing violet-colored dusty mass of spores ; spores pale-lilac to almost hyaline, ovoid to spherical, occasionally somewhat irregular, with rather conspicuous spore-wall covered with numerous minute reticulations (1 ^ or less in diameter), chiefly 5.5-8.5 //• in length.
On Caryophyllaceae :
Alsine borealis {Stellaria horealis')^ Greenland.
Arenaria groenlandica, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont.
Cerastiuni maxiTnum, Alaska.
Lychnis sp., Minnesota.
Moehringia lateriflora {Arenaria lateriflora), Minnesota, Wisconsin.
Moehringia lateriflora glabrescens {^Arenaria lateriflora glabrescens) , Washington.
Silene acaulis, New Hampshire.
Silene Lyallii (5. Douglasii Macounii) , Montana.
Silene multicaulis , Washington.
Silene telonensis^ Wyoming.
Silene Watsoni, California, Washington. Type locality : Europe, on Silene nutans. Distribution : New England to California, Alaska, and Greenland ; also in South America,

Microbotryum violaceum, also known as the anther smut fungus, was formerly known as Ustilago violacea. It is a Basidiomycete obligate parasite of many Caryophyllaceae. But it has now separated into many species due to its host specificity.

Meiosis in M. violaceum produces a tetrad of four haploid meiotic products. Pairwise intra-tetrad mating can occur between these meiotic products.