Perhaps the strangest things that you might see each spring are the bright orange globs hanging in the eastern red cedar trees. They look a bit like orange marmalade being pushed through a garlic press. Moist to the touch and about the size of a golf ball, these ornaments adorning the cedars are actually fungi.
The life cycle of the cedar-apple rust fungus (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae) depends on both apple and eastern red cedar hosts. It’s possible to find cedar-apple rust anywhere east of the Rocky Mountains where eastern red cedars and apples coexist.
For most of the year cedar-apple rust is hard to see. However, when spring rains moisten the hard brown kidney-shaped galls that over winter on cedar trees they develop bright orange spore horns. These are very conspicuous and make the cedar look like it’s fruiting. The spores are then blown, sometimes several miles, onto apple trees infecting young buds and leaves. Over the course of the summer the fungus matures and eventually spores are blown back to the cedar trees to overwinter as small galls.
The fungus does not permanently harm the eastern red cedar trees. However, if left untreated, cedar-apple rust will damage apple fruits to the point of making them unsellable. This is a major concern for orchard owners. Today, fungicide is used to prevent cedar-apple rust from destroying crops, but that wasn’t always the case.
In 1914, apple growers wrote the Cedar Rust Act of Virginia allowing them to destroy cedar trees on neighboring property in an effort to control the fungus. While most people enjoy eating apples, a lot of people also like eastern red cedar trees, especially if they’re on your own property. You can imagine how people reacted when they woke up to see their neighbors cutting down all their cedar trees.
This all came to a head in a classic 1928 court case where a judge determined that apple trees were more valuable than cedars, and therefore more worthy of protecting. Cedar tree owners would not be compensated for their losses, but would be allowed to keep the wood from the cut trees. Remember to thank those folks who lost all their cedars next time you bite into a delicious apple!
If you happen to be out on the next rainy day, try to find an eastern red cedar. Hopefully you’ll have a new appreciation for those bright orange galls and their complex history.
Have you seen cedar-apple rust fungus before? Tell us where and when in the comments!
Loudon Tn. I just noticed these today. My cedar trees are full of the big orange blobs. So I googled it to see what it was
My dad just saw these on his cedar trees craziest thing I’ve ever saw
We recently purchased a home in Lincolnton North Carolina. I have been going around trying to identify all the trees and plants in the yard. After a full day of rain these strange orange balls were all over the cedar tree. Thanks to your article I now know what they are. We did have plans on planting a few apple trees but not sure what I’m going to do now. Definitely not going to cut down the tree it has been there for very long time.
Caneyville, KY. Spent a lot of time in the woods the last 40 yrs and never noticed these until yesterday.
We are in Newnan Georgia and saw these wierd balls.
30ft Red Cedar in Sharpsburg, GA. Lots of rain this spring. Thanks for the article!
Chattanooga TN first year we have seen them in our Red Cedars.
In Knoxville, TN. April 7, 2018.
In my front yard right now ,,i am in Columbiana,Alabama
I’m in central Alabama have have some
I have a couple in my yard and never paid any attention when they would be orange until yesterday. Definitely unique
Am I bad?? I live in Woodford, SC.
I used to see cedar rust galls all about a grove of cedars in Lawrence county Alabama, but now it seems that they are gone. Huh?
Fayette County Georgia – just south of Atlanta.
Red cedar. I hope they don’t affect my Keiffer pear trees.
what can i do for the rust
I live in Dutchess county ny. I have a red cedar tree in my yard. We have lived here for 20 yrs and this is the 1st time I’ve ever seen this fungus on my trees. We had a couple mild winters and a very wet spring.
We have this rust in Richmond, RI. Approximately May 20, 2017. Very, very wet spring in RI this year.
Thanks for the information. I found a couple in some small cedars near the Winooski River in Vermont last week after it had been raining for several days.
Here in Ottawa, Ontario. Canada. my red cedar sprouted this type of fungus fortunately we do not have fruit trees we had many rain storms this season which contributed to this Phenomenon
Rick.
I’m in waterford Michigan. I am out riding my dirt bike and came across a bunch of junipers with orange things on them. I thought I was in the movie “the blob” lol I was wondering if I touch the “blobs” with my hands will it spread to my apple trees when I get home? Should I quarantine myself before I go around my property?
I live in Minnesota and just discovered that my cedar has these!
We live in middle Tennesee and I have seen several of these on red cedar trees.
I’m in Jamestown, Rhode Island we have them in our trees now too. My 9 year old brought one inside and was wondering what it was.
I live in eastern Kansas and have a beautiful cedar tree on my property. I was outside taking pictures after a two day storm and noticed these orange squishy balls with tentacles, hanging in my cedar tree!!! I picked one off and decided to go online to discover what it is…. Yuck! I have been here for three years and this is the first time the tree has displayed them.
I live in Stafford, VA and my cedars have this now. What fungicide is good to use on my apple trees?
I’m in Cherokee Village, Arkansas and my kids and I were just trying to figure out what the huge orange looking clusters on the tree were. This is definitely what they are.
I am in Schaumburg IL and have these things all over my cedar. Does is require any treatment?
There’s Tribbles in my tree! Noticed these bright orange horned ornaments on our cedar, just after last night’s torrential downpour. We’re in southeastern Massachusetts.
We have these globes all over our cedars in Edmonton, Alberta.
We have these on our pines in yard, Grand Junction, Michigan. Had been looking for what it was when came across your blog. Thanks
We have them here on our tree in Grand Junction, Michigan. Was looking for info on what it was when found your article. Thanks
I have seen that before, now I will be on the lookout for it
May 10, 2016 along the Amtrak rail line, Brookfield, Illinois during a sustained rain.
We’ve had a lot of strange looking fungus this year in Amissville, VA. This was one of them here in the neighborhood. I’ll have to find who has the apple trees now…
Marshfield MO
We’ve have these on our farm in Osceola, MO.
Just the other day took a beautiful picture of it at Audubon’s Stony Brook Sanctuary in Norfolk, MA.
Correct name for the fruiting spores is Telial Horns.
Saw some in Southport, Ct this week.
Here in Harleysville Pa. we have the fungi,I don’t like it so I cut them off my cedars. Goodbye and go Cedars
I’ve been fighting these for years, ruins my apple and my pear trees with rust. This year I found the globs and I’m going to cut what I can and see what treatment options for my new Apple trees
This is in Catskill New York
Several rainy damp days here lately on Long Island, NY. My red cedar looks beautiful with those fungal ornaments. Glad it’s harmless!
Red lion pa, just outside of York
For the second year in a row, I have cedar apple rust on my tree. And yes, it’s not far from my small apple orchard. Grrrrr!
Anne
Shelburne, Vermont
Just got them here in pa! Great article!
I found them today while walking in North Mountain in Strasburg, VA.
Got ’em in Cornelius,NC today,5/1,after a heavy rain.
They are on several trees in Greeneville TN now April 2016.
Hello neighbor I from G Vegas Too ? off Baileyton Rd. I got a red cedar with Apple Rust this year firs time I’ve seen it. Just planted a peach and two figs hope it doesn’t bother them.
They showed up in Iuka, Ks this year.
Just saw them for the first time in 18 years on my cedar tree, is it because I planted an apple tree last fall in the front yard. Milton, DE
We have them in Stilwell Kansas! Too many to cut off. But don’t like fungicides. What to do. They are disgusting. Slimy!!
We have them on two trees in our yard in LaFayette,GA March 2016
Trimming the some branches will help eliminate these unknown plants sprouting.
These showed up June 1st on our property in Hunterdon Co. N.J.
Just noticed these weird orange globs on a red cedar this morning. ( in Vermont) We’ve just had three days of rain. Unfortunately, this tree is near my small apple orchard. I think I’ve got a problem!
Here in central Alabama my red cedar sprouted these crazy fungi a couple springs ago. Blew my mind.
Great post! Very interesting.