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Ergot

Fungi

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Claviceps purpurea is an ergot fungus that grows on the ears of rye and related cereal and forage grasses. Its hardened resting structure, the ergot sclerotium, can contaminate harvested grain, and consuming contaminated grain or seed can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals. The fungus most commonly affects outcrossing cereal species such as rye, along with triticale, wheat and barley, and only rarely affects oats.

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