Is this a fungus on my var. Eureka lemon?

East Texas, United States(Zone 8a)

I suspect my lemon was overwatered last summer, which is when I started noticing these white spots on the trunk. Anybody familiar witih this condition? Will I lose my tree? Fruit production has been plentiful. Right now it's looking sad after the colder than usual winter 2010. thanks for your help

Thumbnail by vossner
East Texas, United States(Zone 8a)

w/o checking my journal, I'd say my tree is 5-7 years old. here's a closer look of the trunk.

Thumbnail by vossner
Navarre, FL(Zone 8b)

That does look peculiar. I googled to see what others may be saying, but no good results. Please keep us informed if you do find out what this is.

La Grange, TX(Zone 8b)

There are a few references to white spots on lemon tree bark. This came from allexperts.com. The question was posted by someone in southern California.

Quoting:
I will have to do some more research on this one. My first thought was citrus canker, but that is not a disease common to California. If you have a magnifying glass, examine the lesions very carefully to see if these fuzzy lesions show any details. This may be an opportunistic fungus that may not be harmful at all. Without pictures or more details, I cannot easily determine what it is. However, if there are fuzzy anatomical features, discrete margins, and are elevated above the stem, these are certain indications of fungal growth.


My first guess would have been lichen. It starts out as faint patches that later get kind of crusty. It is harmless and is very common in humid climates.
http://www.gardenguides.com/98566-lichen-fruit-trees.html

East Texas, United States(Zone 8a)

thank you both. I think it is lichen. would make sense as I have it (in more developed stages) on other trees. Houston and surrounding areas are the perfect environment for lichen. I'm a little nervous as my tree is totally defoliated but I scratched several branches and there's green so it should come back. I will post progress later.

again, thanks for your help.

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