<unk>  is the common name of a fungus in the genus Claviceps that is parasitic on certain grains and grasses. The form the fungus takes to winter-over is called a sclerotium, and this small structure is what is usually referred to as<unk> ', although referring to the members of the Claviceps genus as<unk> ' is also correct.  There are about 50 known species of Claviceps, most of them in the tropical regions. Economically important species are Claviceps purpurea (parasitic on grass and cereals), C. fusiformis (on pearl millet, buffel grass), C. paspali (on dallis grass), and C. africana(on sorghum). C. purpurea can affect a number of cereals including rye (its most common host), triticale, wheat and barley. It affects oats only rarely.
There are three races or varieties of C. purpurea, differing 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).
Ergot
Cracker Barrel
Deaf-mute
Chigger
Strangury
Wrinkle
Pennyroyal
Angor animi