Disease is killing Florida's state tree

SEFFNER -- Florida's state tree is dying, and there's no cure.

University of Florida researchers confirmed Thursday that a phytoplasma -- a complex bacteria without a cell wall -- is killing the sabal palm, or cabbage palm, in Hillsborough and Manatee counties. But experts in Fort Lauderdale who are heading up the research are not sure how it spreads.

The disease is probably the same as the one that causes Texas Phoenix palm decline. It also affects the Canary Island date palm, edible date palm, wild date palm and queen palm. The disease first appeared in the Sunshine State about two years ago and has been found in five west-central Florida counties.

The symptoms are browning lower leaves, falling fruit and the death of the spear leaf, the newest frond on a tree. The disease has been found in sabal palms in Brandon and Ruskin.

But because the disease is so new and funding limited, agriculture extension agents don't know much about it or what to tell homeowners who think their trees are infected. Browning leaves and falling fruit could be attributed to many causes, including nutrient deficiencies or over-trimming, and there's no field test. The only way to confirm the disease is expensive DNA testing by plant pathology experts.

There is some hope for homeowners who love their palms, which are often worth thousands of dollars. An antibiotic called TreeSaver helps prevent the spreading of the disease, and it's available at www.palmtreesaver.com. It costs about $1 to $4 for one treatment per tree, and it should be injected into the palm three to four times a year.

It's best to hire an arborist to inject it correctly, University of Florida plant pathology professor Monica Elliott said, which can cost a couple hundred dollars.

-- Jessica Vander Velde, Times staff writer

[Jim Damaske, Times files]