Serviceberry bristles

[Hedgerowe]

I think that something is wrong with my Amelanchier canadensis. The berries have something growing on them that looks a little like brush bristles. The bristles are sort of ivory colored.

Today I found a similar looking bulge in a twig. The leaves look fine. Last year this did not happen (but last year they were so young I had a total of three berries between two trees). Is this rust?

[Equilibrium]

I think you do have a problem. That looks an awful lot like cedar quince rust to me. I hardly ever have seen it on amelanchier but it's possible. Can you look up Gymnosporangium clavipes and see if you think that's it? If you think that's it, you need to prune out and burn the affected twigs and fruits. It was a very wet spring. You might want to look around for any junipers in the area. Remove and burn any affected branches. Really feel bad about this for you.

[Hedgerowe]

Oh Equilibrium, I think you are correct. I could cry.

[Equilibrium]

Try not to cry. I've done that before and it doesn't help us or the plants. Do you know what junipers look like? Are you allowed to burn in your neighborhood?

[Hedgerowe]

Not crying. Honest.

I do know what junipers look like because they grow all over the place here (eastern red cedar). They crop up everywhere. There is no way to get away from them.

Yes, we can burn but it would take me years to burn down all the junipers. Wait. Are you suggesting that I burn my serviceberries? Sigh. That would be the responsible thing to do, wouldn't it?

[Equilibrium]

We had an incredibly wet spring. I would hold tight not doing anything but burning all affected twigs and fruits from your amelanchier and from any junipers you find that are also infected. Don't add any of this plant material to a composter or chip it out to use as a mulch. I get cedar apple rust darn near every year. I bet this fall the ground around the bases of my hawthorns will look like somebody was exploding pumpkins it will be so bad. I have learned rust isn't the end of the world. Rust happens. I will admit that I do go around plucking the horns that spread the cedar apple rust from a neighbor's junipers. He thought they looked like Christmas ornaments until I told him what they were. If I had my way I would burn all of his junipers to the ground. I won't plant any.

[Hedgerowe]

All three serviceberries have been pruned; all were infected. Will not burn the actual trees, but will burn the pruned material (my first controlled burn!). If you say that rust happens then I will relax. I was afraid that I would have to take them out, and they were some of my first natives. Too harsh!

Thank you again.

[Equilibrium]

I have never had this happen to mine. I have it happen to my hawthorns but that's a different fungus. They are somewhat similar I do think rust happens. Check online using the scientific name of the fungus plus the word amelanchier and see what extension services and arborists are recommending for the specific rust you have. I'll check online for you later too. I think you should be fine burning what you've pruned but we can check further and put it to rest for you.

[will-o-wisp]

If I might ask a related question, does this mean I shouldn't plant the new eastern red cedar I purchased this spring next to, or near, the existing planting of serviceberry?

[milkweed]

A distance of 1/4 mile between junipers and alternate hosts is helpful, but this is often not practical

BP-35

It says here that rust is more harmful to the "apple" host than the cedar.

Check the pictures on page 2, it looks just like yours.
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/BP/BP-137-W.pdf