Gail Ruhl, Senior Plant Disease Diagnostician
If you look closely at the leaves and flower petals on the daffodils and tulips, you will observe a variety of white to tannish brown flecks and spots. These leaf and petal blemishes are caused by a disease known as Botrytis Blight. Botrytis is a fungus that thrives under cool, moist conditions. Injured plant parts are especially vulnerable to this fungal plant disease, and cold temperature injury predisposes many spring flowering plants to this early season plant disease.
Young shoots, leaves, stems, flowers and bulbs may all be affected. Grayish spore masses will develop on the diseased areas and be splashed via rain to healthy plant parts. Badly affected plant parts can be removed to reduce the spread of this disease to healthy plant tissue.
Click on the small image to view a larger image.
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| Botrytis Blight on Tulips (Photo by Gail Ruhl) | Botrytis Flecks on Daffodil Leaf (Photo by Gail Ruhl) |
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Plant and Pest Digital Library Project, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.