What's wrong with my plant? : Garden : University of Minnesota Extension

Basswood/Linden > Leaves > Leaves pale to yellow and small

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Affected trees are often stunted, exhibit poor summer color, change color and lose their leaves early in the fall
Affected trees commonly exhibit water-stress symptoms such as marginal leaf scorch, wilting, sudden leaf fall
Affected trees commonly exhibit excessive and abnormal winter damage including true frost cracks and dieback
A root circling or running against one or more sides of the trunk of the tree may be seen at the soil line
The trunk may become sunken in or compressed where it contacts the root
If the girdling root is below ground, the trunk will lack the natural widening or flare at the soil line so will go straight into the earth like a telephone pole; trees often exhibit an abnormal lean
Many weak young shoots/sprouts at the base of the tree
Trees break off at the soil line during wind storms
More information on Stem girdling roots

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Leaves are small and yellowed in chronic infections
Leaves turn brown from the edges and tips, wilt and die in severe infections
Leaf symptoms are often seen on only one or a few random branches in the canopy
Brown streaks often can be seen in the sapwood if the bark is peeled back, appearing as rings or arcs in a cross cut
Symptoms may develop over a single growing season, or over several years
More information on Verticillium wilt

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Leaves are smaller in size and turn yellow earlier than normal
Canopy appears thin with few leaves and multiple dead branches
Fungal conks, a semicircle shelf fungi, can be found from the base of the tree up to 3 feet high on the trunk
Conks are reddish brown and shiny on top, white and porous underneath, a rim of white may be visible on the edge of growing conks
Infected wood at the base of the tree is white, soft, stringy or spongy
Infected trees frequently break or fall over in storms
More information on Ganoderma root and butt rot