Septoria leaf spot, herbaceous perennials

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IPM Scouting in Herbaceous Perennials

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Septoria leaf spot

Pathogen: Septoria spp.

Hosts include: Artemisia, Baptisia, Campanula, Chrysanthemum, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Dianthus, Echinacea, Gaillardia, Heuchera, Lamium, Lathyrus, Lupinus, Lychnis, Monarda, Potentilla, Ratibida, Rudbeckia, Stachys, Veronica and Viola.

Symptoms: Tan to brown leaf spots. Small, black fruiting bodies (pycnidia) may be visible in the lesions. Lesions on Rudbeckia and Echinacea are purple. Lesions may be more severe on older foliage.

Spread: The disease may be introduced on infected material. Spores are splash-dispersed to nearby foliage. Disease can also be spread by workers moving through wet foliage.

Management: There are many species of Septoria. Each is relatively host-specific, affecting only a few plant genera. Remove and destroy infected plant material. Avoid overhead irrigation or carefully time it to limit the duration of leaf wetness. Protectant fungicides can be used to manage Septoria leaf spot.


Purple leaf lesions caused by Septoria rudbeckiae. Rudbeckia and Ratibida are the only hosts of this particular species of Septoria. At right, a closer look at severe purpling on rudbeckia foliage.		Lesions on Heuchera.


Septoria pycnidia are visible in lesions.	Microscopic view of pycnidia on leaf surface. Spores are released through the central opening in these volcanolike structures.

This information was developed from A Pocket Guide for IPM Scouting in Herbaceous Perennials by Jan Byrne and Raymond A. Cloyd. Purchase this in a pocket-sized guide for reference in the orchard from MSU Extension (publication E-2981).

The MSU IPM Program maintains this site as an access point to pest management information at MSU. The IPM Program is administered within the Department of Entomology, fueled by research from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, delivered to citizens through MSU Extension, and proud to be a part of Project GREEEN.
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Updated 9/28/07