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Lophostemon sp. gall (wasp species unk.)
Galls are caused by many organisms living on plants, including insects, mites, mistletoe, fungi and bacteria. This particular infestation is on a Lophostemon species tree, most likely L. confertus, an Australian native tree known as Brush Box. The galls themselves are caused by a tiny gall-forming wasp (species unk.), and major infestations can be quite disfiguring. As the galls age they dry and fall from the leaf, leaving a raised scar. I did notice the infestations appeared on this species of tree only. The horns seem to grow straight through the leaf, appearing on opposite sides.
Native bushland in the Mt. Coot-tha Forest Reserve. Spotted on the Stringybark Track. Trees on this track were native species.
The reference link provides some excellent info on all sorts of leaf galls. Information on this specific gall can be found on page 38. Many thanks to PN member l.cook for the vital lead in identifying this gall. I'm confident this spotting ID is correct.
Spotted on Apr 6, 2014
Submitted on Apr 10, 2014
4 Comments
Thank you very much. That might be just the lead I've been looking for.
Galls look like those found on Lophostemon (brush box).
I don't think so, Mark. It was definitely a broadleaf, although I can't be certain it was an Angophora species plant or not. Next time I'm out that way I'll have a closer look.
On Angophora sp? I can't see any openings on the fresh ones. Very interesting things. You might need to do some home science.