Both woodland and open heathland bilberry sites have been found infected with P. kernoviae. Most of the affected sites are located in south west England.
In addition to the findings in Britain, in March 2006 the New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced that P. kernoviae had been detected in two separate localities on the North Island in New Zealand. At one of the sites it was found infecting the shoots and fruit of cherimoya or custard apple (Annona cherimola) in an orchard, at the other site – the Trouson Kauri Park – it was isolated from soil. Work is in progress in New Zealand focussed on identifying further host plants and the possible origins of this pathogen:
Phytophthora kernoviae – of southern hemisphere origin? (PDF-71K)
Abstract from 4th IUFRO Phytophthoras in Forests & Natural Ecosystems August 2007.
Apart from Britain and New Zealand, P. ramorum has also been found in the Republic of Ireland infecting Rhododendron ponticum in a woodland setting.
