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Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Deciduous > Lilac > Leaves brown to black and wilted

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Lilac > Leaves > Leaves brown to black and wilted

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  • bacterialblight1
  • bacterialblight2
  • bacterialblight3
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Bacterial Blight
Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae

  • Dark brown leaf spots with yellow halos, center of spot may crack and fall out
  • Leaves on the end of the branch turn completely brown to black
  • Flower buds are limp and black
  • Infected buds are black and will not open
  • Common with cool wet spring weather
  • More information on Bacterial Blight
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  • ascochytablight1
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Ascochyta Blight
Ascochyta syringae

  • Current year's shoots and flower stalks are wilted, brown and often form shepherd's crook
  • The stem of infected shoots is tan, shrunken and peppered with gray to pale orange spore producing structures
  • Water soaked, olive colored blotches appear on leaves in late summer; coalesce until entire leaf is brown
  • Leaf blotches may grow together until entire leaf is brown
  • More information on Ascochyta Blight
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  • verticilliumwilt1
  • verticilliumwilt2
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Verticillium wilt
Verticillium dahlia

  • Leaves on one to several branches turn red to yellow, wilt, die and fall off
  • Dark olive to gray streaks are often visible in the sapwood if the bark is peeled back
  • The entire canopy may show symptoms in a single season or take several years
  • Symptoms are often most obvious in late summer and autumn but can occur throughout the growing season
  • More information on Verticillium wilt

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