A serious fungal disease of plane, canker stain is usually fatal and can kill trees within two to five years.
Common name: plane wilt, canker stain of plane
Scientific name: Ceratocystis platani
What does it affect?: London plane, Oriental plane, American sycamore
Areas affected so far: not currently in the UK
Origin: eastern United States
Symptoms include:
A sudden wilting of the leaves appears as the pathogen blocks up the water transport systems of the tree. Often wilting just occurs on one branch and then spreads.
Sparse, thin crown with yellowing leaves.
Canker stain marks on the bark. These are sunken lesions with orange and purple streaking around the edge.
It is a wound parasite; a pathogen that enters the tree via existing cuts and damage. When the soft outer layers of wood underneath the bark are infected, vessels in the vascular system are blocked from transporting water and energy and cause the sudden wilting of the tree.
Credit: James Roberts / Forestry Commission
The pathogen has spread from eastern United States to Europe. It’s now been found in Albania, France, Greece, Armenia, Italy and Spain. This disease is not currently thought to be present in the UK.
Canker stain is not present in the UK. The pathogen was accidentally introduced from the eastern United States through a number of southern European ports during World War II on infected crates. It spread rapidly through Italy and into Switzerland and France.
The disease is always fatal to the tree. Smaller trees tend to die off more quickly than mature trees.
There is no way of controlling the disease with chemicals but in Europe plane trees are being developed that show resistance to the pathogen.
Imported live plants and wood is the biggest risk for canker stain entering the UK. The UK is now a protected zone for canker stain and the movement of plane to the UK is banned unless they have been grown in an area free of the disease.
To combat the spread of pests and diseases like canker stain we have:
developed a UK and Ireland sourced and grown assurance scheme to make sure that all the trees we plant and sell are produced in the UK.
lobbied the government to improve biosecurity at border points to stop new pests and diseases entering the UK.
partnered with Observatree, a tree health citizen science project which trains volunteers to spot pests and diseases, thereby helping tree health authorities identify and manage outbreaks early.
We are fighting back against pests and diseases. Find out what we're doing to prevent the spread and protect the UK’s trees.
More pests and diseases:
Trees woods and wildlife
Find out how this devastating fungal infection is affecting our historic sweet chestnut woods.
Trees woods and wildlife
This now infamous tree disease has killed millions of elm trees in the UK over the last 50 years. It’s changed parts of our landscape forever and it’s still spreading north.
Trees woods and wildlife
Our native oaks are under pressure like never before. They are declining at an unprecedented rate due to drought, flooding, pollution, pests and diseases.
