1) Botryosphaeria cankers      2) Botryosphaeria cankers with black fruiting bodies                                                          breaking through the surface

BOTRYOSPHAERIA - There are many species of Botryosphaeria. This fungus is generally thought to attack plants with weaknesses caused by other factors such as insect damage, drought stress, harsh winters, etc. It is known to occur on over 100 genera and symptoms can vary depending on the type of plant and the extent of infection. Generally botryosphaeria causes cankers. These start out as soft depressions below the bark and grow oval shaped with callous tissue around the edges. On some plants the damage can look like a darkening of the stem tissue and wilting of the branch. This is caused by the interruption of the vascular tissue. Many times the reproductive bodies can be seen under close inspection. Very small pimple shaped growths will be pushing up the bark. Occasionally these will look as if erupting or splitting and black within or even with a string of whitish pusslike material oozing out. The best way to avoid Botryosphaeria is to maintain good drainage and good cultural practices and to prune out infected areas if infection does occur.