Dogwood Anthracnose Fact Sheet

Cool weather 50 to 55 f average daily temperature during leaf bud break and emergence greatly favors disease development whether it is wet or dry.

Dogwood anthracnose fact sheet.

Anthracnose than late blooming cultivars. If daily temperatures average above 60 f at bud break anthracnose is usually not severe. It is a serious disease capable of killing large numbers of trees and most cornus species can become infected. Dogwood anthracnose is a disease caused by the fungus discula destructiva.

Sycamore ash maple oak and privet are especially susceptible. The native flowering dogwood cornus florida is a popular ornamental tree that thrives well in the warmer areas of new hampshire. Other common landscape dogwoods such as. Remove all pruned wood to reduce any.

These diseases can be found throughout the eastern united states. The fungus discula destructiva causes dogwood anthracnose leaf blight and canker. Dogwood anthracnose infects flowering cornus florida and pacific dogwoods c. It is also an important disease of pacific dogwood cornus nuttallii in the west.

Spot anthracnose appears as reddish purple spots on bracts of flowering dogwood. Dogwood anthracnose discula destructiva is often described as the most serious disease that affects dogwood species specifically flowering cornus florida and mountain c. A few cases have been reported at lower elevations where dogwoods are grown in very cool moist shady locations. University of kentucky college of agriculture food environment extension plant pathology ppfs or w 06 college of agriculture food and environment.

The mildew which often causes a. Nuttallii dogwood species in the united states. The causal agent is the fungus discula destructiva and as the name suggests this pathogen is highly. Dogwood anthracnose is most severe only in areas of the state that are higher than 2000 feet.

Dogwood powdery mildew has also become a recent major threat to dogwoods. Anthracnose of trees and shrubs. Dogwood anthracnose dogwood anthracnose is considered the most serious disease of flowering dogwood cornus florida in connecticut and the eastern seaboard. For this reason it can be beneficial to plant your dogwood in late spring when warm temperatures will kill the fungus which thrives in cooler wet weather.

Discula dogwood anthracnose fact sheet january 1 2003. Although wet weather tends to favor this disease temperature is the most important factor. For trees diagnosed with dogwood anthracnose carefully prune out all dying and dead twigs and limbs to prevent the disease from spreading to the main trunk. The southern part of the state is included in the northern transitional zone where patches of.

Kousa is also susceptible to infection but is highly resistant to the disease and typically suffers only minor leaf spotting.