Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Part IV
Host Plants and Their Diseases
The information telescoped into this section is taken in large part from the
records of the Plant Disease Survey as given in the
Plant Disease Reporter,
Plant Diseases
and from the
Index of Plant Diseases in the United States
,
Agriculture Handbook 165, U.S. Department of Agriculture. I have added to
these recent records as I have run across them in the literature and a few
personal observations. Inevitably I have missed some, and there will be many
more appearing while this text is in press; so the lists cannot be regarded as
complete. There are a great many more records than in the previous editions,
but with surveys bringing new reports every day, any such list is out of date by
the time it is typed; and by the time it is printed and available, many months
later, it is sure to be far from complete. This check list is offered as a helpful
guide, a foundation on which to build. It is by no means the last word.
The hosts selected for inclusion in the
Handbook
are those trees, shrubs,
vines, flowers, and vegetables likely to be grown in home gardens. Native
plants sometimes grown in wild gardens are here, and some forest trees if they
are sometimes used as ornamentals. Some plants more often grown for profit
are included if they have anyplace around the home. Hosts are listed alpha-
betically by common names except where the scientific names mean less
confusion. Often there are several common names, and the Latin name is
more likely to be generally recognized.
The geographical distribution of diseases can be taken only as a general
guide. It is likely that a disease present in New York is also present in
neighboring states but has not been officially reported, or that I have missed
seeing the report, or that a long list of states would take too much
room. Diseases listed as “general” are prevalent throughout the host range;
“widespread” means found over a wide area but not prevalent; “occasional”
means of infrequent occurrence.
Fungi possibly parasitic that have been recorded as present on leaves or
woody plant parts but not as causing a specific disease have been omitted. Brief
comments, following some of the listings, sort out a few of the more important
problems, but specific descriptions and control measures are to be found in
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