A good comprehensive text would be encyclopedic in volume. You will need to narrow your search: what is the affected plant?

Three Phlox paniculata 'Franz Shubert', perhaps Dictamnus alba as well...I think it may be crown gall. The crowns of three plants are tan and woody in texture. The plant is attempting to resprout from the woody mass, unsuccessfully. It is in my moms garden, she thinks the same thing happened in a Baptisia as well, it was darn near impossible for her to remove because it had become so hard and woody at the crown and below. I did not see that one before she took it out. The only other symptoms that seem to match at all are those of some types of nematode damage.

Helen.

I just did some quick googling with "Crown gall on phlox" and it doesn't look good. Bacterias are never easy to control and certainly impossible in the soil. It does sound like that is what you have.

It would seem that this book would be the definitive item on herbaceous pathology, if there is one:
http://www.shopapspress.org/diofhepe1.html
Maybe the library at the MSHS or the Arboreum would have it or similar.

Thank you Leftwood,

I need a good pathology book and that looks good to me.

We have removed the phlox already, we found it on all of her phlox in two seprate gardens, it does make a quite an impact on her gardens. The worst part is that the dictamnus is 6 years old and wonderful, and they take at least 4 years to get wonderful...

One more quick question if I may. I read that crown gall is prevalent in maple trees, both gardens are under or very near a red maple. I know I have hit tree roots digging things up for her in those gardens. Do you think that this could be at the heart of the problem, as the bacteria can travel from root system to root system?

Thanks again for your input.

Helen.

The bacteria lives in the soil. I you bashed a part of a maple root that was infected (probably showing a gall formation), then yes, you would spread more of it around. But it's not as if the soil was uninfected prior. I am not sure how crown gall might manifest itself with maples, or even if it would be the same species of bacteria that might infect garden plants. Crown gall should not be so systemic in trees as to travel through roots for more than a foot or so.

If you feel so inclined you might search some more scientific literature from Plant Physiology

Thank you Leftwood. That makes sense. Time to revisit my soil science and plant science texts.

Helen.