Gymnosporangium clavipes Prune and destroy infected twigs before the spore horns develop. In the summer, needles become bronzed, tan, and then gray. Needles of the inner and lower branches are affected first but the disease progresses upward and outward toward the branch tips. Dark fungal fruiting structures form on the surface of infected needles. Microscopic examination of the spores reveals dark, multicelled spores that are longer than they are wide.
Affected needles fall giving the shrub an open, bare appearance.
Cercospora sequoiae var. Since the fungus overwinters on the plant, spores are present all year. Infection can occur whenever temperatures are mild and moisture is on the needles. It is best to remove the plant rather than attempt control this disease with fungicides. Kabatina Twig Blight Tips of branches die and turn brown or ash-gray.