Anthracnose Dogwood Tree Leaves Curling
For example pacific dogwood cornus nuttallii is a california native.
Anthracnose dogwood tree leaves curling. Symptoms begin on leaf borders with purplish blotches that eventually cover the leaf. Leaf scorch is a common problem in dogwood tress and a sign that your tree is under water stress. But you can rest assured your tree won t look disfigured forever if you keep up with fungicide applications to keep your tree from being reinfected the next spring the new growth will be. Generally white dogwood cultivars are more susceptible to spot anthracnose than pink cultivars.
Department of agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 9 depending on species. Treat with copper based. The many graceful shapes of dogwoods cornus spp are known throughout u s. Kousa dogwood cornus kousa which grows in usda zones 5 through 8 typically shows higher disease.
The dogwood cornaceae family is a hardy tree with various cultivars and species. Caused by the fungus discula destructiva anthracnose thrives in moist shade. But not all anthracnose is created equal. Other dogwood diseases such as those caused by septoria cornicola species pathogens may also show leaf spotting symptoms similar to anthracnose but they do not cause cupped or curled leaves.
If you have a dogwood showing significant leaf curl throughout the summer 5 years or longer beyond when you planted it keep. Dogwood anthracnose is the most common disease that affects dogwood trees. The leaves are cupping up on my dogwood. Curled wilted or distorted leaves along with dark or tarlike spots are common symptoms of dogwood anthracnose.
How to treat a dogwood with leaf wilt. However the damage that is already done to the tree s leaves and stems can not be reversed which is why prevention is so important when it comes to fungal diseases especially dogwood anthracnose. When a dogwood tree does not receive adequate water the leaves of the tree begin to dry with the. Leaf curl on dogwoods is essentially a protective reaction to stress the tree feels.
The term anthracnose refers to a group of fungal diseases that can affect a wide range of plant species trees as well as shrubs both ornamentals and edibles and also garden crops. What is cornus anthracnose. Rather than keep its leaves flat and susceptible to burning in the summer sun dogwoods curl their leaves to minimize leaf surface area and thus minimize any damage they might receive. Brown or black lesions on leaves stems flowers fruits and other plant parts may be symptoms of anthracnose.
This disease can spread up the leaf stem and infect the twigs bark and trunk eventually killing the tree if left untreated.