Eight species and one cultivar of Cornus: C. florida L. (flowering dogwood), C. kousa (Buerger ex Miquel) Hance (Chinese dogwood), C. alba L. (Siberian dogwood), C. alternifolia L. (pagoda dogwood), C. sericea L. (red-osier dogwood), C. sericea ‘Flaviramea’ (yellow twig dogwood), C. racemosa Lam. (gray stem dogwood), C. amomum Mill, (silky dogwood), and C. mas L. (Cornelian cherry) were subjected to natural infection by Discula destructiva for two or three years. The area of exposure exhibited a 35% increase in mortality of native C. florida over a four year period. Only the eight C. florida test plants developed dogwood anthracnose symptoms and six of these plants died after three years. All other species remained free of dogwood anthracnose. Under more severe disease conditions other Cornus species may develop dogwood anthracnose. Ideally, resistance testing should be performed under laboratory or greenhouse conditions where inoculum and environmental conditions can be controlled.

dogwood, dogwood anthracnose, resistance, Discula destructiva
flowering dogwood (C. florida L.), Chinese dogwood (C. kousa (Buerger ex Miquel) Hance), Siberian dogwood (C. alba L.), pagoda dogwood (C. alternifolia L.), red-osier dogwood (C. sericea L. (= C. stolonifera Michx.), yellow twig dogwood (C. sericea ‘Flaviramea’), gray stem dogwood (C. racemosa Lam.), silky dogwood (C. amomum Mill.), Cornelian cherry (C. mas L.)
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Author notes

2Plant Pathologist.

3Biological Technician.

4Horticulturist.

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1994