Ergot
genus of fungi and group of fungi of the genus Claviceps
Ergot (), or ergot fungi, is a group of fungi of the genus Claviceps.
The most prominent member of this group is Claviceps purpurea (rye ergot fungus). This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals who consume grains contaminated with its fruiting structure (called ergot sclerotium).
Claviceps includes about 50 known species, mostly in the tropical regions. Economically significant species include C. purpurea (parasitic on grasses and cereals), C. fusiformis (on pearl millet, buffel grass), C. paspali (on dallis grass), C. africana (on sorghum) and 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:
G1 – land grasses of open meadows and fields;
G2 – grasses from moist, forest and mountain habitats;
G3 (C. purpurea var. spartinae) – salt marsh grasses (Spartina, Distichlis).
Life cycle
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.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Ergot” as genus of fungi and group of fungi of the genus Claviceps. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as genus of fungi and group of fungi of the genus Claviceps. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6445454. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
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Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Ergot” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.