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From: rhunt@med.unc.edu (Rick Hunt)
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Cancer in plants?  Close but no cigar.
Message-ID: <3557@beguine.UUCP>
Date: 30 Apr 91 00:00:47 GMT
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I have been informed by a co-worker that I did not explain myself very
well in my previous posts.  I will attempt to do better this time.

The growth that I observed that I thought might be some kind of cancerous
growth was 50-75 small twigs growing from an area on a branch about 3cm to
a side.  They spread out at about a 30 degree angle and were about 25cm
long.  The best description would be that it looked like a broom.

I finally did what I should have done in the first place and called the
biology dept. at the University and asked a botanist.  He said it was a
growth caused by a fungus and was called a witch's broom.  The fungus
causes a runaway growth that is somewhat similar to cancer.  It can be
dangerous to the plant because it uses too much of the plant's resources.

I thought I should post the answer in case anyone's curiousity was too
great.  

Rick Hunt
rhunt@med.unc.edu