Ericoid mycorrhizal fungi of Gaultheria shallon .

Xiao, Guoping; Berch, SM Mycologia. Vol. 84, no. 3, pp. 470-471. 1992.

ABSTRACT:

Salal (Gaultheria shallon Pursh) is one of the most abundant forest undergrowth species on the west coast area of North America. Large areas of productive forest land are invaded by these vigorously growing plants, especially following clearcutting and slashburning, and in the presence of salal, the growth of conifer plantations is dramatically reduced. Salal, like some other ericaceous plants, such as Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull and Kalmia angustifolia L., is of ecological importance (Smith, 1991), and, therefore, it is of interest to understand the basis of the success of salal in such sites. The purpose of the present study was to identify the mycorrhizal fungi of salal from a cutblock on northeast Vancouver Island by isolation of fungi from roots and aseptic synthesis of mycorrhizae of salal with the isolates.