My mimosa tree must be 40 to 50 years old (at least). I've had it for 30 years and it was fully grown when I moved in. About 3 years ago, I noticed a brown, silky, dusty hair-like material coming from one of the upper branches (see photos). The condition has continued each year and now it is in three places on two different branches. No one can seem to identify what type of disease or condition this is. The tree still flowers each year and seems otherwise very healthy. If you've come across this situation and have any helpful advice or information, please let me know. Thanks.
Thanks for the alert Togata It does look like a Stemonitis-type myxomycete (slime mold). If it is, this would be harmless to the tree, eating bacteria, wild yeasts etc on the bark surface and climbing to higher spots for better spore distribution. The photos look to be at post-spore dispersal stage; earlier the spore cases would look more intact. I don't know what Stemonitis-types look like in their motile stage, but I've seen ones at the stage of just producing fresh spore cases, and it is quite pretty seeing these delicate strands reaching up and out in swayed-inward bunches. hope that helps, - frog
Thank you both for your comments, but I don't think it's slime mold because the wispy hairs seem to be weeping from an opening in the bark on the branch rather than sitting on the tree limb, and it doesn't look like the mold on the linked photo from wikipedia. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Slime_mold_stemonitis_fusca.jpg Any other thoughts? It's like being a tree detective. Thanks for helping.
