Rusty dust under my weeping willow leaves

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BogweedBuck Leesburg, VA(Zone 7a) Sep 13, 2005

I was working under our weeping willow (a rather large one) and noticed a profuse amount of rust colored dust under most of the lower leaves (which may explain why my allergies get so wildly exacerbated while working in that area of the yard). The first thought that crossed my mind was "rust fungus" but I honestly have no idea, nor have I ever had to deal with something like this before.

What is it?

If it's bad, how do I get rid of it? Preferably without spraying as this is a massive tree and is not that many feet from my pond (about 25 feet) ... so, I'm really not in the mood to lose my koi.

Help!

(thanks!)

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thripmaster Monroe, NC(Zone 7b) Sep 13, 2005

There is a rust that gets on willows. The fungus is called Melampsora epitea. Maybe that is what you have. Willow rusts have received little research attention beyond describing the fungus and the hosts. From what I have studied about it, the alternate hosts include small conifers but it can also overwinter in the willow's twigs and buds so...eliminating the alternate host only works marginally. It normally appears late in the summer. It can cause the tree to drop its leaves early and also cause the tree not not be able to store carbohydrates properly for the spring flush. I don't think there is much to do about it. Just put up with it and hope that the weather conditions don't favor it so much next year. MAYBE (and only maybe) you could eliminate nearby conifer seedlings and somewhat reduce the possiblilty for infection next year if there are not a large number of spores in the twigs and buds.

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