Discolored and deformed leaf symptoms due to Peronospora sp.
Melodie Putnam, 2000.
Downy mildew symptoms on top of leaf (top image) and underneath leaf (bottom image).
Photos by Melodie Putnam, 2000.
Cause Sparassis crispa (formerly Sparassis radicata) , a fungus reported to be common in Washington on Engelmann spruce. Can also occur on Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, white fir, and southwestern white pine. Both heartwood and sapwood are decayed in the roots but only heartwood in the lower trunk. It is not known how the fungus gains entry into the roots but it is not via fire scars or wounds. Tree-to-tree spread appears to be via root grafts or root-to-root contact.
Herbarium specimen - fruiting body of Sparassis radicata collected in 1976 near the Alsea summit in a Douglas-Fir stand.
Jay W. Pscheidt, 2018.
Herbarium specimen - fruiting body of Sparassis crispa collected in 1998 in Douglas county in a Hemlock stand.
Note: Spruce spider mites can result in a similar symptom pattern on Dwarf Alberta Spruce. Time of symptom development can help diagnose the difference between mites (gets worse with time) or sun burn (all at once).
Hard to keep dwarf spruce trees green with dryland management during the heat wave of 2021. This is the southwest side of the tree.
This poor 'Ice Punch' poinsettia cutting had several pathogens isolated including Phytophthora sp., Pythium sp., and Thielaviopsis.
OSU Plant Clinic image, 2013.
Cause Cenangium ferruginosum, a fungus reported to be common in Washington on lodgepole pine. The disease is generally restricted to trees that have low vigor as a result of site or climatic conditions. The disease may appear serious and widespread the first year after a severe winter and then subside during the next growing season.
