Sarcococca Blight
Winter hardy to usda zones 7 9 where it is best grown in acidic organically rich moderately fertile moist but well drained soils in part shade to full shade.
Sarcococca blight. Boxwood blight causes leaf spots stem cankers and defoliation. Symptoms on sarcococca were novel and included twig dieback and dark lesions. Boxwood blight calonectria pseudonaviculata is a serious fungal disease that primarily affects boxwood buxus spp but can also hit japanese pachysandra pachysandra terminalis and sweetbox sarcococca spp. Box blight doesn t kill the roots of box plants.
Volutella blight has been around for many years. Best in part shade. This results in browning of the leaves and dieback of branches leaving bare patches in hedges and topiary specimens. Leaves lose luster and may burn in full sun.
It is caused by volutella buxiwhich is the asexual stage of the fungus pseudonectria rousseliana. Best with consistent moisture. A two fungi are particularly associated with box blight and others may also be involved. The most damaging is cylindrocladium buxicola which initially produces dark brown or black spots on the leaves and black streaks on the stems followed by grey patches under the leaves.
Blight symptoms were observed on sarcococca and adjacent buxus sempervirens boxwood plants in maryland during 2014.