Q: My Arizona rosewood has some distorted leaves and fuzzy brown places at the ends of some of the distorted leaves.Β What could be causing this and what do I do about it?
A:Β The problem with your Arizona rosewood is witches broom rust called Gynosporangium vauquelinia. Rusts like this require an alternate host to complete their lifecycle.
This rust has juniper as an alternate host so there is likely an infested tree nearby or at least upwind from the rosewood. These rusts donβt kill the plants but they do reappear every year or two if the alternate host is still nearby. So you donβt need to do anything about it.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to
