Dr. Phyto

sycamore maple

Acer pseudoplatanus

Diseases & pests on this plant

• sooty bark disease of sycamoreCryptostroma corticale

  Bark cracks revealing black soot-like spore mass underneath (the diagnostic symptom — very distinctive), crown dieback + branch death over 2-3 years, bark sloughs off in sheets exposing black sporulation surface, tree death typical within 3-5 years of first symptoms.

• citrus longhorned beetleAnoplophora chinensisEU-notifiable quarantine organism

  Adult beetles (3-4cm with long curved antennae) on trunks in summer, large round exit holes (1cm diameter) at base of trunks (the diagnostic symptom — distinguishes from native longhorns), sawdust at base of trees, branch dieback + crown decline, infested trees gradually killed.

• Asian longhorned beetleAnoplophora glabripennisEU-notifiable quarantine organism

  Adult beetles (2.5-3.5cm, black with white spots + long banded antennae) on trunks in summer, large round exit holes (1cm) higher up trunks (not just base — distinguishes from A. chinensis), sap flow + bark damage where larvae enter, sawdust on bark + ground, infested trees killed within 3-5 years.