Isolation of Tomato Mosaic Virus from Lilac

Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) was transmitted to tobacco on three occasions from young leaves without viruslike symptoms (VLS), but not from mature leaves with VLS collected from a Rutilant lilac growing at the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. The virus also was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in young foliage but not in mature foliage, flowers, or seeds. ToMV also was detected by ELISA in leaves of young rooted Rutilant lilac cuttings, which displayed similar VLS, obtained from the Royal Botanical Garden, Hamilton, Ontario (.)