Jerusalem cherry (Christmas/Winter cherry) belongs to the family Solanaceae and is a common weed in New Zealand
and Australia.
In other countries, cultivated dwarf varieties of Jerusalem cherry are decoratively grown as house or garden plants. During a site visit to a phytoplasma-infected potato field in the Waikato region, a symptomatic Jerusalem
cherry plant was observed on the edge of a native bush remnant. Symptoms included witches’ broom, foliar yellowing
and reduced leaf size (Fig. 1a). Numerous Jerusalem cherry plants were present in the bush remnant, however only one was symptomatic. The only known host of “Ca. P. australiense” in the bush remnant was cabbage tree (Cordyline australis) which appeared asymptomatic.