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Fasciation

Multiple possible causes (see Disease Cycle section)

45 host plants · Unknown

Last updated

Data Coverage 3 of 6 dimensions
Causal Agent
Host Plants
Symptoms
Management
GDD Threshold
Regional Notes

You'll notice fasciation as a ribbon-like, flat, or abnormally wide stem or branch where you'd expect a normal round or cylindrical one. The malformed shoot may have a braided or bundle-like appearance, sometimes with multiple layers of tissue fused together. Affected branches grow out of place and disrupt the plant's natural form. This condition typically appears on maples and affects the aesthetic shape of ornamental specimens.

Fasciation on maples is usually caused by bacterial or environmental stress during bud development, and it's more of a cosmetic issue than a threat to plant health. The good news is that fasciated stems grow normally and the plant survives fine. Simply prune out the malformed portions if they bother you, or remove the entire plant if fasciation covers too much of the crown. There's no chemical control needed; pruning is your only management option.

Quick Reference

Agent Type
unknown
Causal Agent
Multiple possible causes (see Disease Cycle section)
Host Plants
45
Spread
For infectious forms: contact with wounds on infected plants; water-borne tra...
Favorable Conditions
Genetic predisposition; mechanical or frost damage to growing tips; environme...

Management

Vulnerability Window

Any time during growth; most commonly observed during active growth phases

What Triggers Infection

Genetic predisposition; mechanical or frost damage to growing tips; environmental stress; proximity to infected plants (for infectious forms)

Cultural Controls

  • Prune out misshapen portions of affected plants.
  • Remove affected plants, if desired.

Host Plants (45)

Acer buergerianum Trident Maple, Three-toothed Maple Acer campestre Hedge Maple, Field Maple, Common Maple Acer capillipes Red Stripebark Maple, Red Snakebark Maple, Hakkoda Maple Acer carpinifolium Hornbeam Maple Acer circinatum Vine, Maple Acer coriaceifolium Leatherleaf Maple Acer crataegifolium Hawthorn, Maple Acer davidii David Maple, Père David's Maple Acer freemanii Freeman Maple, Hybrid Red Maple Acer ginnala Acer ginnala Acer glabrum Rocky Mountain Maple, Rock Maple, Douglas Maple, Dwarf Maple Acer glabrum var. douglasii Douglas Maple, Dwarf Maple, Rocky Mountain Maple Acer grandidentatum Bigtooth Maple, Western Mountain Sugar Maple, Rocky Mountain Sugar Maple Acer griseum Paperbark Maple Acer henryi Henry's Maple Acer japonicum Fullmoon Maple Acer macrophyllum Bigleaf Maple Acer maximowiczianum Nikko Maple Acer miyabei Miyabe Maple Acer monspessulanum Montpellier Maple Acer negundo Boxelder Manitoba Maple, Ash-leaved Maple Acer nipponicum Nippon Maple Acer oblongum Evergreen Maple, Smooth Leaf Maple Acer oliverianum Oliver Maple Acer opalus subsp. obtusatum Bosnian Maple Acer palmatum Japanese Maple Acer palmatum var. dissectum Dissected Japanese Maple Acer pensylvanicum Striped Maple, Moosewood Maple Acer pentaphyllum Acer pentaphyllum (no common name) Acer pictum Painted Maple Acer platanoides Norway Maple Acer pseudoplatanus Planetree Maple, Sycamore, Maple Acer rubrum Red Maple Acer rufinerve Redvein Maple, Honshu Maple Acer saccharinum Silver Maple Acer saccharum Sugar Maple Acer sempervirens Cretan Maple Acer shirasawanum Shirasawa Maple Acer spicatum Mountain Maple, Moose Maple Acer tataricum Tatarian Maple, Tartarian Maple Acer tataricum subsp. ginnala Amur Maple Acer tegmentosum Manchurian Stripebark Maple, Manchustriped Maple Acer triflorum Three Flowered Maple Acer truncatum Purpleblow Maple, Shantung Maple Acer velutinum Velvet Maple