Hello Gardeners, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow . Dogwood anthracnose, with the frightening name Discula distructiva , was first identified in north eastern forests in 1978. Beginning with attacks on leaves and twigs, this disease spreads to branches and trunks and has caused mortality rates well above fifty percent in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. For several years, foresters hoped it wouldn’t spread to southern areas, but in 1987 it was found in Georgia