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 is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Saturday - May 15, 2010
From: Corsicana, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Diseases and Disorders
Title: Orange patches circling cedar branches
Answered by: Nan Hampton and Eric Beckers
QUESTION:
We have dry rusty orange patches that circle several of our Cedar branches. There are a few orange blobs on different limbs, but they do not look like the pictures of Cedar Rust (no horns). The foliage is turning orange on these trees, as well. Do you know what this could be? Also, is Oak Wilt limited to certain areas, or are Oaks at risk in all areas of Texas?ANSWER:
You may have stumped us! First of all, we aren't sure which cedar you might have. Is it Juniperus ashei (Ashe's juniper) or Juniperus virginiana (eastern redcedar)? Actually, that probably doesn't really matter because any juniper disease would most likely affect either one. I spent a good bit of time looking for a likely candidate for your cedar infestation with no success. I then passed the problem on to Eric Beckers of the Texas Forest Service and he confirmed that, if it's not cedar apple rust, this is a tough one. He says that if the gall has dried up it won't show the "horns" or bright orange soft tendrils. He suggested that you send us photos of the orange blobs and the the dying needles on the tree. Please visit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page to read instructions for submitting photos.
There are several species of the fungus (Gymnosporangium sp.) that cause cedar rust. You can see images of some of these at the Forestry Images site from the USDA Forest Service (scroll down the page to find Gymnosporangium). The Plant Clinic site from Cornell University also has good images as well as some management strategies.
Now for the oak wilt part of your question, you can see maps showing the occurrence of oak wilt in Texas on the Texas Oak Wilt Information Partnership page. The majority of the occurrences are in the central part of Texas from just below the Red River at the Oklahoma border to a line north of a Wimberley to Kyle line. There are some scattered occurrences in west Texas. Unfortunately, Navarro County is shown adjacent to counties that show oak wilt on these maps that are several years old.
More Diseases and Disorders Questions
Problems with redbud in DeLand FL
June 15, 2011 - My native Redbud trees leaves are turning yellow and a sucker branch has died. What could it be?
view the full question and answer
Problems with Savannah holly from Livingston TX
October 05, 2013 - Our Savannah Holly standards, planted in spring 2012, are now 10' tall, with 2-3" caliper trunks at the base. Some are in decline or have died. We thought the ribbons holding them to the nursery's ...
view the full question and answer
Something killing evergreens on Long Island from Baldwin NY
June 06, 2011 - What seems to be killing so many of the evergreens on Long Island - see more and more dying each day - doesn't seem to be a rhyme or reason - can it be helped? Many thanks.
view the full question and answer
Ruffly foliage on native lantana
November 05, 2013 - A native lantana in my front yard has developed ruffly foliage on one stem. It looks like miniature broccoli. What can this be?
view the full question and answer
Chlorotic disease in scrub oak from Katy TX
July 04, 2013 - Please tell me how to treat my scrub oak as it has chlorotic disease. Parts of the tree are fine and others have yellow leaves. It has not been injured in any way.
view the full question and answer
Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |