Hello, I bought this Compact Stella (Prunus xdomes) cherry tree last spring. My plan was to prune what I assumed was a harmless deformity on the upper branches and keep the abundant lower branches. Before the deer discovered the tree, it had the most abundant lower branches at the nursery and that I was what I wanted. Since then a friend tells me that it is infested with what he thought may be fastigiatus. Because the infection has spread to the 2 lower main branches he says that it can't be saved and that the only remedy is to return it to the nursery for a replacement. He isn't completely confident with his prognosis and suggested I contact UBC for any suggestions. I would be grateful for any help. Thankyou - Glen
its what is known as fasciation. a genetic weirdness that occurs on some plants, I have seen it fairly common on cherry and forsythia as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasciation
