Thread: PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mystery Disease?
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Old 12-08-2008, 08:48 PM posted to rec.gardens,rec.birds,alt.nature.mushrooms,sci.misc
Cheryl Isaak Cheryl Isaak is offline
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Default PHOTO OF THE WEEK, Mystery Disease?
On 8/12/08 2:38 PM, in article
, "jadel"
wrote:

On Aug 12, 10:05*am, Jack Schmidling wrote:
Returning home from our Friday trip to town, we spotted this strange
apparition in a tree along the road.....

I need some help identifying it.


One point of clarification. As I said in an earlier reply, it's a
'witch's broom.' They are all caused by a mutation in a branch bud.
Nobody is sure what triggers the mutation; viruses, injury and
spontaneous mutation have all been suggested as possible causes.
Pines and spruces seem to be very susceptible to them.

An analogy would be 'cresting' in cacti.

BTW, White Pine Blister Rust doesn't look like that. Branches with
WPBR just turn brown, wither and die; they don't produce that kind of
bushy excresence.


J. Del Col

You beat me to it Jadel. I've seem several "witches brooms". It's an
interesting aberration.

Cheryl

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