• Some fungal diseases can damage the tips of juniper leaves.Design Pics/Valueline/Getty Images
  
  There is a wide variety of plants in the Juniperus family, from creeping ground covers to large trees. In the United States, a home gardener can choose from more than 40 different species and about four times as many cultivars, according to the University of Florida. While junipers range widely in appearance, they are all vulnerable to a number of fungal diseases. Some are only aesthetically displeasing, while others can damage the health of the tree.
  
  

Phomopsis Juniperovora

• Phomopsis juniperovora is a fungus that causes "tip blight" in junipers. When this fungus infests a juniper, it causes the tips of the foliage to turn brown, wither and die. This is called "die back," a term that means the tree is dying from the tips back to the trunk. Another symptom of this fungal disease is the appearance of gray lesions where the twig meets the branch. In severe infestations, the lesions may girdle branches where they meet the trunk, according to Virginia Tech University. Phomopsis juniperovora is spread on water and is most prevalent during wet, rainy springs. Because the fungus attacks new growth, large infections can kill young saplings. Control involves removing the infected twigs and avoiding overhead irrigation, which can spread the spores.
  
  

Kabatina Juniperi

• Unlike Phomopsis juniperovora, Kabatini juniperi is a fungus that attacks in the fall, although symptoms usually do not present until the spring. The symptoms of an attack are the same as those from a Phomopsis juniperovora infection: brown, withering tips and foliage dying off. Kabatina juniperi travels on water but does not infect new, healthy foliage the way Phomopsis juniperovora does. Instead, this fungus enters a juniper tree through a wound, such as those caused by pruning or a nick in the bark caused by other gardening tools. Once it enters the tree, the fungus lies dormant until the spring, when the spores begin to multiply. Remove affected branches and twigs promptly and dispose of them by throwing them away or burning them.
  
  

Gymnosporangium Juniperi-Virginianae

• There are several rust diseases that affect juniper trees. They are classified as juniper-rosaceous rusts. The most serious of these is called cedar-apple rust and is caused by the fungus Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae. The first symptom of the disease is the appearance of woody galls on the twigs and branches of the juniper. As the weather warms into spring, orange growths appear from these swollen areas. These are the fruiting bodies of the fungus that produce spores. Often, they are very bright orange in color and easily seen. The spores are spread on the wind. While the galls are one symptom of an infection, a more serious symptom is die-back of the entire tree, which can happen in severe cases. The fungal disease can be managed with a systematic application of fungicides, but allowable fungicide use varies by state.