sorbus aucuparia sudden death

[armchairarborist]

got a customer we took down a rowan for back in may '09. they said it started leafing up nicely then suddenly the leaves disappeared and the bark on the trunk went brown within a couple of days so they called us to remove..

I noticed on every branch union tiny (2mm) across clusters of dark red very shiny little dots, not sure if they were insects or growths..

there was no evidence of poisoning from below ground as surrounding plants were unaffected, the garden pond was healthy (fish swimming etc..)

anyway customer just emailed me wondering if i had ever found what it was because theyre now worried the same will happen to the nice rowan in the front garden.. any ideas?

sorry no pics 'doh'

oh it was about 15 to 20 yrs old.. thanks

[David Humphries]

Lack of pictures really doesn't help, but you know that.

 

 

Is it possible that the 'growths' were fungal?

Possibly Coral spot.

This is a saprophyte, which may of been in attendance due to a n other stress to the Tree, vascular dysfunction perhaps.

 

This is just guess work without any shots.

 

 

 

.

[kevwrenn]

Nectria canker??? can show red pin head type fruiting bodies... i would expect coral spot to be paler and not shiny... but i'm no expert.

[RobRainford]

Lack of pictures really doesn't help, but you know that.

 

 

Is it possible that the 'growths' were fungal?

Possibly Coral spot.

This is a saprophyte, which may of been in attendance due to a n other stress to the Tree, vascular dysfunction perhaps.

 

This is just guess work without any shots.

 

 

 

.

 

i thought coral spot (nectria cinnabarina (sp?)) only colonised on dead wood/dead oak branches? I could be wrong, but thats what i was told.

[Graham]

Verticillium Wilt? Was there any vascular staining?

[Harrison2604]

r.i.p sorbus

[Giles Hill]

There have been a few threads recently about rowan suddenly dying. Did someone mention there's a wider problem affecting the species? I can't quite remember...

[sean]

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/tree-health-care/9269-sudden-dieback-rowan.html

[Arob]

Just seen Janey's reply in http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/tree-health-care/8603-whats-up-rowans.html in which she mentions whitebeams also being affected. Here I noticed several whitebeams including one long line in a good wide verge which in late summer looked as if they'd been sprayed with herbicide (I'm pretty sure they hadn't been).

[armchairarborist]

I'll try n get back to photo the stump, that should show up any vascular staining, seen loads of rowans half leafless this year too, not just on roadsides either..

sorry guys I should know better than to ask q's? without photos..