(Thladiantha dubia)
Laurel wilt is a disease of plants in the laurel family (Lauraceae). In the upper midwest, the hosts are sassafras (Sassafras albidum) and spicebush (Lindera benzoin). It is generally believed that all plants in the laurel family are susceptible, but not all have been tested.
Laurel wilt is a lethal vascular wilt disease which is moved by the red bay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus). Neither the fungus, nor the beetle are native to the United States. Both were first discovered in the United States on the coast of Georgia in 2002. They have since been found from North Carolina to Florida to eastern Texas, and north to Kentucky.
Laurel wilt has not yet been detected in Wisconsin.
