Verticillium Wilt

Signs & symptoms

• Sudden wilting and browning of leaves on one branch or one side of the tree
• Scorched-looking leaves and dieback, often during summer heat
• Olive or greenish streaking in the wood under the bark of affected branches
• Decline that can be slow over years or surprisingly fast in one season

Verticillium wilt is a common reason a maple suddenly drops a whole branch's worth of leaves while the rest looks fine. The fungus lives in the soil and gets into the roots, then clogs the vessels that move water — so the tree wilts in patches.

Some trees wall it off and live with it for years; others go downhill quickly. There's no spray that cures it, so it comes down to keeping the tree as healthy as possible and removing dead and dying wood for safety.

What to do

• Don't remove a whole tree over one wilting branch — many maples cope with it for years
• Have dead and dying limbs pruned out as they appear
• If the decline accelerates and big limbs are dying over the house, get an assessment

This is general guidance from three decades of tree work across the Philadelphia area — not a formal diagnosis. When it matters, we'll come look at the actual tree and give you a straight answer, free.

Trees we see this on

Other tree problems