Epichlo hybrida

Epichloë hybrida is a systemic, asexual and seed-transmissible endophyte of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) within the genus Epichloë. An interspecies allopolyploid of two haploid parent species Epichloë typhina and Epichloë festucae var. lolii (previously classified as Neotyphodium lolii), E. hybrida was first identified in 1989, recognized as an interspecific hybrid in 1994, but only formally named in 2017. Previously this species was often informally called Epichloë typhina x Epichloë festucae var. lolii, or referenced by the identifier of its most well-studied strain, Lp1. Epichloë hybrida is a symbiont of perennial ryegrass where its presence is almost entirely asymptomatic. The species has been commercialized for the benefits of its anti-insect compounds in a pasture setting, although it is now more commonly used as an experimental model system for studying interspecific hybridization in fungi. The type specimen of E. hybrida is held in the American Type Culture Collection......read more on Wikipedia.