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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Terrestrial Invasives
  3. Terrestrial Pathogens and Diseases
  4. Butternut Canker

Butternut Canker

Scientific Name

Ophiognomonia clavigignenti-juglandacearum (Nair, Kostichka, & Kuntz) Broders & Boland (Broders and Boland 2011)

Common Name

Butternut canker

Synonym

Formerly known as Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum

Native To

Unknown, possibly Asia (Furnier et al. 1999)

Date of U.S. Introduction

First detected in 1967, but may have been present before then (Farlee et al. 2010)

Means of Introduction

Unknown (Ostry et al. 2004)

Impact

Lethal disease of butternut trees (Juglans cinerea) (Farlee et al. 2010)

Current U.S. Distribution

Northeastern and Midwestern U.S.

Butternut canker

Butternut canker symptoms

Credit

Photo by USDA, FS, Northeastern Area

Source
Invasive.org.

Find more images

Spotlights

  • After a Blight, the Trees that Survived Need Your Help

    • Feb 25, 2020

    • USDA. Blog.

    • Humans adores trees. But humans also migrate and trade, habits that led to the accidental introduction of insects and diseases that harm trees and alter the landscape. Examples are easy to find and may be outside your front door: American elms that once dotted streets across America succumbed to Dutch elm disease. Now all colors of ash species – black, green, white, pumpkin, and blue – are threatened by emerald ash borer. The already uncommon butternut tree, also known as white walnut, faces the possibility of extinction from a mysterious attacker. Many invasive insects and fungi come from regions where native trees have evolved to resist their attacks. When these species enter the United States, they find trees that lack this resistance. There's no immediate end to this dismal pipeline, but there is hope on the horizon.

Distribution / Maps / Survey Status

Videos

  • YouTube - Butternut Seed Orchard

    • Google. Youtube; Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (Ontario).

    • The Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) is working with the Forest Gene Conservation Association (FGCA) to preserve endangered native butternut trees. This species is threatened by butternut canker, a fungal disease, and protected under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act.

Selected Resources

The section below contains highly relevant resources for this species, organized by source.

View All Butternut Canker Resources
Partnership
Federal Government
International Government
State and Local Government
Academic
Professional
Citations