phloem necrosis

noun

, Plant Pathology.

1. a disease of the American elm caused by a mycoplasmalike organism, characterized by yellowing and necrosis of the foliage and yellowish-brown discoloration of the phloem.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phloem necrosis¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Sweeping out of the Middle West was an even more deadly disease, phloem necrosis, which kills thousands of elms every year.

From Time Magazine Archive