Tomato chlorotic spot virus Identified in Marsdenia floribunda in Florida

Marsdenia floribunda (Brongn.), also known as Madagascar jasmine, waxflower, and Hawaiian wedding flower, is a flowering plant in the milkweed family, Apocynaceae, and is native to Madagascar. Marsdenia floribunda plants with typical tospovirus symptoms were found in a Miami-Dade County nursery. Representative leaf tissue tested positive in serological testing with commercially available reagents, indicating the presence of one or more tospoviruses. RT-PCR analysis was used to confirm Tomato chlorotic spot virus (TCSV). This is the first report of TCSV infection of M. floribunda in Florida or any other location. The recent identification of TCSV in annual vinca, Hoya wayetii, and Schlumbergera truncata, together with the current report, demonstrates that the TCSV host range has expanded into ornamental crops.