Branch dieback in the southern California chaparral was reported in 1985, the first year of a 5-yr drought. The pathogen was identified as a Dothiorella-like anamorph of Botryosphaeria dothidea. B. dothidea has been isolated from active lesions on over 50 species and cultivars of California native plants. Field inoculations during September 1990 with isolates of B. dothidea from four of these hosts resulted in rapid disease development. Lesions measured 60-80 mm long after 1 wk, and most of the branches were killed after 6 wk. Maximum in vitro vegetative ACT growth occurred at 25-30 C for three isolates from southern California. Conidial germination was greatest at 30 C and declined at temperatures below 30 C [...]
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Fred E. Brooks (1994) studied this question.