Donald H. Pfister

Asa Gray Research Professor of Systematic Botany
Asa Gray Professor of Systematic Botany and Curator of the Farlow Library and Herbarium, Emeritus
Don Pfister smiling, with short grey hair and beard, glasses, pink button down, and taupe quarter-zip
Harvard University Herbaria22 Divinity AvenueCambridge, MA 02138
617-495-2368
dpfister@oeb.harvard.edu
Pfister Lab
iDigBio

Faculty Support: Tracy Barbaro

My research centers on the biology and systematics of fungi, particularly members of the fungus classes Pezizomycetes and the Leotiomycetes, both belonging to ascomycete groups. Using molecular, life history and morphological methods we strive to understand relationships within these groups and to uncover their diversity. In addition, I study the history of collections and collectors.

Recent Publications

Bradshaw, M., Quijada, L., Braun, U., Smith, M.E. and D.H. Pfister., 2025. Powdery Mildews on North American Oaks: High Levels of Diversity and Pathogen‐Host Coevolution. Forest Pathology, 55(1), p.e70005.

Karakehian, J.M., Rödel, T., Damm, U., Pfister, D.H., Miller, A.N., Truong, C. and T.W. May., 2025. Specimens in the National Herbarium of Victoria, Australia (MEL) and in Naturalis Biodiversity  Center of Leiden, Netherlands (L) associated with Albertini and Schweinitz's Conspectus fungorum  in Lusatiae superioris. TAXON, 74(1), pp.174-190.

Bradshaw, M., Uwe, U., Khodaparast, S.A., Mitchell, J.K., Crouch,U., Thomas, J., Hamideh Darsaraei, H. and D.H. Pfister. Apr 2025. Phylogeny and taxonomy of the genera of Erysiphaceae, part 7: Phyllactinieae, Mycologia, 640-700.

Karakehian, J.M., Pfister, D.H. and A.N. Miller. 2024. Elias Magnus Fries's fungus exsiccati Scleromyceti Sueciae: New light on the obscure “fascicle nine.” TAXON 73(4): 1062-1069.

Pfister, D.H., LoBuglio, K.F., Bradshaw, M., Lebeuf, R. and A. Voitk, 2024. Peziza nivalis and relatives—spring fungi of wide distribution. Mycologia, 116(6), 1019-1032.

Pfister, D.H., Lemmond B., Healy R., LoBuglio K.F., Bonito G., Smith M.E 2024 Rugosporella, a new genus to accommodate the North American species Peziza atrovinosa (Pezizaceae) and its predicted ectomycorrhizal status. Ascomycete.org. 16 (3):185–196.

Bradshaw, M.J., Boufford, D., Braun, U., Moparthi, S., Jellings, K., Maust, A., Pandey, B., Slack, S. and D.H. Pfister, 2024. An in-depth evaluation of powdery mildew hosts reveals one of the world’s most common and widespread groups of fungal plant pathogens. Plant Disease, 108(3) 576-581.

Du, X.H., Wang, S.Y., Ryberg, M., Guo, Y.J., Wei, J.Y., Pfister, D.H. and H. Johannesson. 2023. Cytological studies reveal high variation in ascospore number and shape and conidia produced directly from ascospores in Morchella galilaea. Frontiers in Microbiology, 14, p.1286501.