Dogwood Tree Diseases Anthracnose

Sycamore oak especially white oaks maple ash walnut and dogwood are especially vulnerable to anthracnose which may cause leaf and shoot blight defoliation and twig dieback.

Dogwood tree diseases anthracnose. Kousa and hybrids of kousa and native dogwood c. Dogwoods are extremely common in landscapes around the area which causes this disease to spread easily throughout landscape dogwoods and cause disfigurement of foliage each year. In wet weather these spots can rapidly enlarge and kill the entire leaf. After several consecutive years of severe disease weakened trees may be invaded by insect borers and secondary disease causing further decline.

Generally a tree infected with dogwood anthracnose will develop dark spots with a tar like appearance on. Anthracnose on deciduous trees shade trees commonly affected by anthracnose are ash dogwood elm hickory maple oak sycamore and walnut. Dogwood anthracnose is a problematic disease that all dogwood owners must take seriously. Apply a fungicide during bud break to protect new flowers twigs and foliage.

The flower bracts are usually attacked first and then the leaves young shoots and fruit of dogwoods primarily during wet spring weather. In the past anthracnose was the most serious disease of dogwoods in the landscape and our forests but it is now less common. While anthracnose can be caused by several different species of fungi the symptoms are the same. Dogwood anthracnose discula destructiva is a damaging disease that attacks various species of dogwoods.

Dogwood anthracnose infects flowering cornus florida and pacific dogwoods c. The shoots are also killed in this disease. What are the symptoms of anthracnose. Anthracnose can affect the buds of a tree early in the season before it has grown any leaves.

The initial symptoms appear as medium to large purple bordered leaf spots and scorched tan blotches. It causes dieback or even death of infected trees. The infection is manifested in the form of leaf spots and stem cankers. Kousa is also susceptible to infection but is highly resistant to the disease and typically suffers only minor leaf spotting.

Rake and destroy fallen leaves. Anthracnose and other fungal diseases that attack trees need water moisture to grow propagate and colonize new hosts. The early symptoms begin in mid to late may as leaf spots with tan or purple borders. These diseases are less common in warmer regions that have less rainfall.

Symptoms are small inch tan spots with reddish purple borders. One of the very common diseases of dogwood trees is the dogwood anthracnose which is caused by the fungus discula sp. Protect trees from drought stress winter injury and dogwood borer attack.