INTRODUCTION – The popularity of Liriope muscari Decne. Bailey for use in Southern landscapes has been accompanied by a large apparent increase in the incidence of a leaf and crown rot disease which attacks Liriope during nursery production and in landscape plantings. Based upon symptoms and damage, this disease has been named Liriope leaf and crown rot. Apparently, this disease is widespread in the Southeastern states and can probably occur wherever Liriope is grown. Our research has shown that all Liriope species and cultivars are susceptible to the disease, but the widely-grown cultivar Evergreen Giant is more susceptible than others. Leaf and crown rot is probably not a new disease, but one that has become more common with the increased production and use of Evergreen Giant. Leaf and crown rot is caused by a strain of the common plant pathogen, Phytophthora palmivora.
