parasitic ascomycetes (Fabraea rhytismoidea)

Fruiting bodies of this ascomycete were irregular shallow discs with dark edges and pale fertile inner surface. Individual discs were difficult to discern without magnification-they appear as dark patches on leaves and at first glance look like pigmentation. The photo shows the slightly elevated discs.
Spotted on the leaves of the montane daisy, Leptinella filicula, at the side of a dirt road. The plants were part of a matted ground cover of several plants.Their hairy leaves form a rosette on short stalks with a single flower at the centre.