long dead branches ...

where are you ... when did this start.. because that damage did not happen this season ??? .. and what weather event might you have had back then???

ken

I am in central Namibia. I'm not sure when this started.. because I just recently bought the property, about a year ago. The previous owners severely neglected the garden, and I've learned, from the weather records, that it was dry for previous 8 or so years and last season there was nearly double the amount of average rainfall for the year.

pat

I strongly suspect that the fungus (or lichen) is simply decomposing wood that was already dead. It is acting as a recycler now, not a killing disease.