witches broom

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Is this it?
 

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Looks like it. I've only seen it on native Florida (East Palatka) Holly trees and they have been devastated by it in these parts. Non treatable, cutting it out slows it down but some say you can also spread it by cutting with a non sterile saw.
:(
 
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Ty RJS I was thinking that it was indeed Witches broom. I will continue to keep an eye out for it, I'm sure this is not a holly tree it is attacking. Nice find for me :)
 
O.K., here goes TC3 stickin' her foot right in it >>>
It's really hard to MISS Witches' Brooms ?!? That ain't it.
A very stressed tree will throw out epicormic shoots. It's very hard to miss. It looks like 'sprays' off the end of a branch.
I can see where this would be interpreted as such, & it may be to a small extent...
But Witches Brooms as I know them are extremely stressed trees that throw out sprays from over-pruning or survival mechanisms.
 
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Im sorry I should have gotten better pics and tree ID. I know its not mistletoe.")
"Unlike brooms caused by living organisms, there is usually just one broom per tree when the cause is a genetic mutation."

This trees got alot of brooms so I know it says it not genetic mutation possibly,"Phytoplasmas require a vector to be transmitted from plant to plant and this normally takes the form of sap sucking insects such as leaf hoppers in which they are also able to replicate."
 
Witches' Brooms are usually a reaction to stunted growth or extreme infestation of pests or disease, rather than an ongoing problem.
If a tree suffers from anthracnose (say, a Sycamore) for a year or two, you might see a bit of Witches' Brooms ... after 3-4 years of continuous infection, the tree will show more outward signs...
Capish?
 
Genetic mutation is another creature altogether. It's usually only witnessed in one section... a true anomaly.
 
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Genetic mutation is another creature altogether. It's usually only witnessed in one section... a true anomaly.

Have you ever seen one with just one broom in it TC3?

I dont know where we get antibodies from for like the common cold etc, but in the future most of what we may take may be plantibodies.
Heres the link.. Kool stuff Thanks TC3
http://www.answers.com/topic/plantibody

Sorry dont mean to spam heres a quote from the above wiki. "Since 1983, progress in the field of antibody production in plants has drastically increased, and it is projected that in the near future, many of the necessary human antibodies will have an origin as a plantibody."
 
White pine and spruce get a single "broomlike " branch here. Does the cultivar "nana" originate from white pine witches broom that was grafted?
 
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http://www.coenosium.com/text399/conifero.htm
5th paragraph down.
Im not sure nobivy. Very interesting stuff thou.

Dr Waxman has been cultivating, harvesting, growing the brooms and introducing them into the landscape market. He has a 10 acrea farm near UConn.just for brooms.
He says the best brooms are found above cemeteries.

Mutations occur in nature and are often induced by the background radiation present all around us. When cell divisions are occurring in growing tissues, they are most susceptible to damage by this radiation. If such damage occurs at the right time and place, a mutation may result. Since a typical plant of Picea mariana 'Nana' has a high number of growing tips, it is not very surprising that such mutations occur quite often in this cultivar.
 
there is Pinus taeda nana as well; mature loblollies at 20'. Cool little trees.

"Witches' broom" is dwarfed tufted mutated growth , yes, but it can be caused by many factors. I never heard the radiation or cemetery theories before, but hey...
 
Nice pic. Witches broom can rarely be considered a defect because it seldom hurts the tree. Leave it be and enjoy it, is my approach, unless the owner needs that certain 'look".
 
there is Pinus taeda nana as well; mature loblollies at 20'. Cool little trees.

"Witches' broom" is dwarfed tufted mutated growth , yes, but it can be caused by many factors. I never heard the radiation or cemetery theories before, but hey...

What is the proper term for spurious growth caused by stress ? I ask because I use the term 'witches broom' for both that & the mutated growth.
We have a lot of young trees (Maple mostly) that react to improper planting, weedwacker damage, salt, etc. by tufted growth at the ends of their branches. Some trees react like this after anthracnose & yellows ?
There should be 2 distinct terms, no ?
I'll get a pic of a really cool witches' broom in a Spruce near here... the mutated growth kind. It looks like it has a shrub growing in it.
 
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