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TT: Oak problem in Florida (was Re: Live Oaks and Lawns)
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May wrote:
" I live in nw Florida - and we have a tan fungus that kills our live
oaks. I begins as innocuous looking patches of beige - looks like maybe
a lichen. Then it spreads. The branches which it covers, finally die
and "self prune", but some of those branches are very big, and the trees
very, very high. "
I doubt that this is oak wilt, as Shaub suggests, because I don't think oak
wilt has been reported in NW Florida, and the symptoms don't sound right.
I suspect that you have Hypoxylon canker, caused by Hypoxylon atropunctatum
or one of its relatives. Though tan at first, when the spores are being
released, the patches usually turn grey-black. If that sounds right,
perhaps it is Hypoxylon.
This fungus is an endophyte, meaning that it lives a quiet life inside the
tree, doing no apparent harm. Only when the tree (or branch) is severely
stressed and on the brink of death does the fungus develop, and it then
quickly covers the tree or branch.
There is no treatment, but the fungus isn't the problem. Something is
severely stressing your trees: inadequate water, too much water, another
pathogen or an insect problem. You probably need the services of a
professional arborist to be sure.
Now, keep in mind that I might be wrong - diagnosis by internet is not very
efficient. Perhaps you could describe the symptoms in more detail off-list.
If it doesn't turn grey-black, it may be something else, or another species
of Hypoxylon.
Cheers,
Tom Kimmerer
Forest Biologist
University of Kentucky
Lexington KY 40546
Ph: 606-257-1824
Fax: 606-323-1031
tkimmer@pop.uky.edu
Visit the TreeWeb at http://quercus.uky.edu/TreeWeb
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