Goal: Deliver Benefits to the Public Spicebush Is Also Affected by Laurel Wilt Disease

Laurel wilt is a highly destructive disease affecting redbay, sassafras and other members of the laurel plant family that are native to the United States. The disease is caused by a fungal pathogen that is carried by the redbay ambrosia beetle; both the beetle and the fungus were introduced from Asia around 2002. Spicebush is a member of the laurel family but the disease had not been previously found on this species. In September of 2015 a large spicebush plant was observed with symptoms of wilt at the Swan Lake – Iris Gardens in Sumter, South Carolina. Leaves wilted very rapidly over the entire plant and the sapwood had black discoloration which is characteristic of the disease. Redbay ambrosia beetles were found in the stem of the plant, and in laboratory examinations the fungus which causes the wilt was isolated from the sapwood tissues. Spicebush is a common understory shrub in forests of the southeastern United States, and is widely planted as a landscape species. Foresters, land managers, garden supervisors and homeowners should be alert for this disease and aware of the potential problems that this disease could have on spicebush as well as other species in the laurel family.