A global community of nature enthusiasts
photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Pinus torreyana
A "witch's broom" is a proliferation of shoots that can look like a bundle of twigs or witch’s broom. It can be cause by fungal or viral infection of the plant. This one is on a Torrey pine which is endemic to the Southern California coast and one coastal island.
The Torrey pine is an endangered species growing only in the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, in coastal San Diego county, and on Santa Rosa Island. This one is in the reserve. https://torreypine.org/
Spotted on Jul 7, 2013
Submitted on Dec 28, 2018
3 Comments
I don't think it kills the tree, Neil, so at the Reserve, they just leave these alone.
Thanks for the link, Ava. I found my answer :)
If the branch was lopped, perhaps that would stop the infection? It looks amazing.