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Extension > Garden > Diagnose a problem > What's wrong with my plant? > Evergreen Trees and Shrubs > Fir > Dense clusters of twigs

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Fir > Trunk/Branches > Dense clusters of twigs

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  • Broom rust 1
  • Broom rust 2
  • Broom rust 3

Broom rust
Melampsorella caryophyllacearum

  • Witches' brooms, a clump of small weak branches arising from one point on a larger branch, form in infected trees
  • Needles on brooms are pale green to yellow in summer
  • Needles die and fall off in autumn, leaving a clump of bare branches in the winter
  • Yellow to orange bumps form on needles within the witches' broom, and may release powdery orange fungal spores in summer
  • The branch at the base of the broom may be unusually swollen or cracked
  • Also infects chickweed, causing orange spots or blotches on leaves
  • More information on Broom rust

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