Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Wednesday - November 09, 2005
From: Lexington, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Cotton root rot in Purple Sage, Leucophyllus frutescens
Answered by: Joe Marcus
QUESTION:
We had three Purple Sage shrubs in our front yard. They did very well for about three years and then this past year they just died. From what I have read they are pretty hardy so we are really stumped as to what happened to them.ANSWER:
Purple Sage, Leucophyllum frutescens is also known as Cenizo, Texas Ranger, Texas Sage, Barometer Bush and Silverleaf. It is a tough-as-nails shrub native to south Texas.
Purple Sage is highly resistant to most insect pests and diseases. However, it is susceptible to Cotton Root Rot (Phymatotrichopsis omnivora) in poorly drained soil, in over-watered landscapes or during wet seasons. Once Cotton Root Rot, also known as Texas Root Rot, has infected one plant in a landscape, the pathogen stays in the soil and will infect other susceptible plants that replace it. The much-used Red Tip Photinia, Photinia xfraseri is particularly susceptible to Cotton Root Rot and is responsible for many of the occurrences of the disease that we see.
To positively identify Cotton Root Rot, it is best to pull a dead plant out of the ground, shake off as much soil as possible away from your landscape, and take the plant -- roots and all -- to your county agriculture extension office. For more information on this particularly pernicious fungal disease, see this article on Diseases of Urban Landscapes.
More Diseases and Disorders Questions
Problems with Crape Myrtles in Oklahoma.
April 12, 2009 - I planted Crape Myrtles,Catawba, that are about 4 feet high. I planted them last October. They all had new leaves on them a week ago. All of the leaves are now brown and shriveled up. There is a t...
view the full question and answer
Live oak leaves turning yellow after planting in Houston
December 19, 2011 - We bought a 65 gallon live oak in early October, and have been watering fairly heavily three days a week. It seemed OK, then all of a sudden lots of the leaves are turning yellow. Is it getting too ...
view the full question and answer
Reason for tree canopy dieback from Mahopac NY
May 21, 2012 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: Not a questions, just sharing, re person in Texas whose Ash Jupiter appeared to be dying "canopy very thin on top". We moved to Putnam Co. NY in 1970. Our house was shaded by...
view the full question and answer
Brown rings on grass under live oaks in Austin
June 13, 2013 - There are brown rings in the grass at the dripline on several Live Oak trees in our neighborhood. What causes this? The trees appear healthy.
view the full question and answer
One wax myrtle declining in Austin
April 20, 2011 - I have 3 wax myrtles in a row; two are doing fine and one is looking "sad". It is thinning and when I checked a few branches they were dead, I pruned it and it was dead. I have had the trees for 7 y...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |