Maryland put on notice for Phytophthora ramorum

 Maryland residents may have received nursery plants infected with P. ramorum, which causes sudden oak death. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) notified the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) that a nursery in a regulated area of Oregon, found to have infected plants during routine testing, shipped plant material directly to Maryland residents. MDA notified each of the households that received these plants and provided them with a test kit. To date, only one plant, witch hazel, sent to a Montgomery County homeowner from the affected nursery, has tested positive. The department has received 22 samples and is following up to obtain plant samples from the remaining 15 test kit recipients.
MDA, in cooperation with the University of Maryland Extension, is offering free testing to home gardeners who question if plants they have purchased are affected by P. ramorum. For free testing, gardeners must first contact the Maryland Home and Garden Information Center or call (800) 342-2507.
In 2004, Maryland had three confirmed P. ramorum-positive samples from rhododendron and camellias. To date, P. ramorum has only been found in nursery stock and has not been found on oaks in Maryland.