In May 2001, bleeding cankers were observed on several laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia) trees in central Florida. Affected trees had chlorotic leaves, sparse canopies, and little new growth. Multiple cankers were present on the trunk and extended from the soil line up to approximately 5 m. Each canker had a reddish to dark brown or black exudate. From two of the infected trees, tissue samples were taken from beneath the bark around the edge of an actively growing lesion and transferred directly to Phytophthora-selective medium (1), and three soil cores (2 cm in diameter, 20 cm deep) were collected from the base of each tree. A baiting bioassay (with camellia leaf disks and shore juniper and eastern hemlock needles as baits) was used to assay fresh composite soil samples for Phytophthora species (1). P. cinnamomi was recovered from both tissue and soil samples (2). Mycelia were coralloid with abundant hyphal swellings. Sporangia were produced in 1.5% nonsterilized soil extract solution. Sporangia were ovoid to ellipsoid in shape and nonpapillate. Average sporangium size was 72 × 45 μm (length × width). To our knowledge, this is the first report of P. cinnamomi on laurel oak trees.
References: (1) A. J. Ferguson and S. N. Jeffers. Plant Dis. 83:1129, 1999. (2) G. M. Waterhouse. Key to the species of Phytophthora de Bary. Mycol. Pap. 92. CMI. Kew, UK, 1963.
