Medicinal plants as hosts of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes

Arbuscular mycorrhizal and dark septate endophyte associations of 31 medicinal plant species collected from the Garden of Medicinal Plants of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Jagiellonian University, Collegium Medicum in Kraków were investigated. Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) was found in 30 species; 23 were of the Arum-type, 5—Paris and 2 taxa revealed intermediate morphology. Many plants were strongly colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). The mycelium of dark septate endophytes (DSE) was observed in 21 taxa. However, the percentage of root colonization by these fungi was low. Spores of 15 species of AMF (Glomeromycota) were found in the rhizosphere of the investigated plants. Our results are the first detailed report of both AMF and DSE associations of these plant species. The use of AMF and DSE during the process of medicinal plant cultivation for pharmaceutical purposes is discussed.