Wheat Stem Rust
02 Jul 2023
Ink painting/drawing of a wheat stem rust teleutosorus (pustule), caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis.
The painting shows a teleutosorus (or sori) on a wheat stem. A chain of ruptured epidermal cells visible on either side of the teleutospores. Below the teleutospores, there is a mass of hyphae amongst the host cells.
A vascular bundle is present to the left of the fungal lesion. It looks a bit like a smiley face, with the metaxylem forming the eyes, and the protoxylem forming the nose and smiling mouth.
Top: final painting
Bottom: painting before adding the black outline.