Ornamental Plants 409 



ANDROMEDA 



Gall {Exobasidium sps.). — See azalea. 



ANEMONE 



Rust (Cluster-cup) . — The alternate stage of the rust of 

 drupes occurs here. Drop (Sclerotinia tuberosa Fcl.) also 

 occurs occasionally. 



ASPIDISTRA 



Anthracnose (Colleioirichum omnivorum Hals.) is common 

 everywhere especially upon variegated plants. 



ASTER, CHINA (Callistephus) 



Wilt ^-^' '^'^~ (Fusarium conglutinans Wall. var. calUstephani 

 Beach.). — The wilt, mentioned as early as 1896 by Gallo- 

 way, has since been reported from Massachusetts and Colo- 

 rado, and is probably the most important disease of the 

 China aster. The time of transplanting the beds and blossom- 

 ing time are most susceptible periods, though the wilt is 

 present to some extent at other times. 



The most conspicuous symptom is the sudden death of 

 the plants. The bark of the stem is rotted at the ground line. 

 Close observation earlier shows the leaves upon one side of 

 the plant, particularly the lower leaves, yellowed and wilted, 

 and the youngest leaves to be smaller than normal. The wilt- 

 ing effect may sometimes be found first on one side only of 

 one of the lower leaves. Plants attacked early may die, or 

 in milder cases may survive to produce a few small blooms. 

 If the symptoms first show at blooming time, their sequence 

 is the same. 



The roots in earl}^ stages appear healthy, -but the stem 

 near the ground, in longitudinal section, shows darkening 

 of the outer wood, local at first upon the affected side, but 

 extending rapidly in all directions. Eventually the dis- 

 coloration extends into the bark, which rots away. 



