NATIVE RANGE: North America

FIRST FINDING IN SLOVENIA: not yet found in Slovenia

PATHWAYS: Transported with tree-saplings. Secondary spontaneous spreading by wind.

POSSIBLY TO IDENTIFY: year-round

DESCRIPTION: In the first year after the infection, the bark of infected fir trees exudes excessive resin and starts to die back. Single branches can die back or even entire smaller trees. When the infection spreads to the bark, the tree at-tempts to overgrow the infection and a canker develops in successive years. In the second year after the infection, small, round, red fruiting bodies (perithecia) develop on dead bark, especially on the scars which are left by shed needles. The perithecia are more numerous in humid conditions.

HOST PLANTS: This fungus infects the bark of various fir species (Abies spp.). It can also infect Norway spruce (Picea abies) when these are growing in the vicinity of affected fir trees.

STATUS: Occurs locally in Northern and Western Europe.

SIMILAR SPECIES: The perithecia of flute canker of radiata pine (Neonectria fuckeliana) are macroscopically similar. Molecular analysis is necessary in order to distinguish these species. Also morphologically similar are also neo-nectria canker (N. ditissima) and coral spot (Nectria cinnabarina) which both, however, affect only deciduous trees.

SOURCE: Field Guide to Invasive Alien Species in European Forests