Key facts
- Common names
- huitlacoche (Mexico), blister smut of maize, boil smut of maize, common smut of maize
- Causal agents
- Mycosarcoma maydis
- Hosts
- maize and teosinte
- Eppo code
- USTIMA
- Distribution
- Worldwide, where corn is grown
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Subclass of
- edible mushroom
- Parent taxon
- Ustilago
- Image
- NFDI4BIOIMAGE Calendar December 2025 - image december.png
Show 1 more fact
- P105
- species
via Wikidata · CC0
Article
Corn smut is a plant disease caused by the pathogenic fungus Mycosarcoma maydis, synonym Ustilago maydis. One of several cereal crop pathogens called smut, the fungus forms galls on all above-ground parts of corn species such as maize and teosinte. The infected corn is edible; in Mexico, it is considered a delicacy, called huitlacoche, often eaten as a filling in quesadillas and other tortilla-based dishes, as well as in soups.
Taxonomy