International Year of Plant Health Part 6: Are your trees at risk?
23 July 2020
Here’s a handy list of the tree species which have been known to be infected already.
The list shows current host trees in South Africa on which infestations of the polyphagous shot hole borer have been confirmed. The Latin names of species as well as the common names have been included for reference. The lists are divided by exotic and indigenous species.
Reproductive host trees
The following are host trees in which both the beetles and the fungus establish, and where the beetle successfully reproduces. In most cases, the reproductive hosts will eventually be killed by the fungus.
Exotic species
Acacia melanoxylon - Blackwood
Acacia mearnsii - Black wattle
Acer buergerianum - Trident (Chinese) maple
Acer negundo - Boxelder
Acer palmatum - Japanese maple
Brachychiton discolor - Pink flame tree
Gleditsia triacanthos - Honey locust
Liquidambar styraciflua - American sweetgum
Magnolia grandiflora - Southern magnolia
Persea americana - Avocado
Platanus x acerifolia - London plane
Quercus palustris - Pin oak
Quercus robur - English oak
Ricinus communis - Castor bean
Salix alba - White willow
Indigenous SA species
Combretum kraussii - Forest bushwillow
Erythrina caffra - Coast coral tree
Podalyria calyptrata - Water blossom pea
Psoralea pinnata - Fountain bush
Salix mucronata - Cape willow
Virgilia oroboides subsp Ferruginea - Keurboom
A series of images showing how a keurboom is affected by the polyphagous shot hole borer, right down to its core.
Non-reproductive host trees
The following are host trees that are attacked by the beetle and where the fungus establishes, but where the beetle does not successfully breed.
Exotic species
Bauhinia purpurea - Butterfly orchid tree
Betula pendula - Silver birch
Camellia japonica - Common camellia
Carya illinoinensis - Pecan nut
Ceiba pentandra - Kapok
Cinnamomum camphora - Camphor
Citrus limon - Lemon
Citrus sinensis - Orange
Eriobotrya japonica - Loquat
Erythrina livingstoniana - Aloe coral tree
Eucalyptus camaldulensis - River red gum
Ficus carica - Common fig
Fraxinus excelsior - European ash
Jacaranda mimosifolia - Jacaranda
Macadamia sp - Macadamia nut
Melia azedarach - Syringa
Morus sp - Mulberry
Platanus occidentalis - American plane
Platanus racemosa - Californian plane
Plumeria rubra - Frangipani
Populus nigra - Lombardy poplar
Prunus nigra - Black plum
Prunus persica - Peach
Psidium guajava - Guava
Schinus molle - Pepper tree
Taxodium distichum - Swamp cypress
Ulmus minor = Ulmus procera - English elm
Ulmus parvifolia - Chinese elm
Viburnum sinensis - Viburnum
Vitis vinifera - Grapevine
Indigenous SA species
Bauhinia galpinii - Pride of De Kaap
Buddleja saligna - False olive
Calodendrum capense - Cape chestnut
Calpurnia aurea - Geelkeurboom
Combretum erythrophyllum - River bushwillow
Cordia caffra - Septee tree
Cussonia spicata - Cabbage tree/ Kiepersol
Diospyros dichrophylla - Star apple
Diospyros lycidioides - Monkey plum
Ekebergia capensis - Cape ash
Erythrina lysistemon - Common coral tree
Ficus natalensis - Natal fig
Grewia occidentalis - Cross berry
Gymnosporia buxifolia - Spike thorn
Halleria lucida - Tree fuchsia
Harpephyllum caffrum - Wild plum
Melianthus major - Honey flower/Kruidjie-roer-my-nie
Nuxia floribunda - Forest elder
Olea europea subsp. Africana Wild olive
Podocarpus falcatus - Outeniqua yellowwood
Podocarpus henkelii - Henkel’s yellowwood
Protea mundii - Forest sugar bush
Prunus Africana - Red stinkwood
Rapanea melanophloeos -Cape beech
Schotia brachypetala - Weeping boerbean/Huilboerboon
Senegalia (Acacia) galpinii - Monkey thorn
Vachellia (Acacia) karroo - Sweet thorn
Vachellia (Acacia) sieberiana var. woodii - Paper bark thorn
Virgilia divaricate - Keurboom
A cross berry tree affected by the PSHB; and below, a monkey plum tree affected to its core.
