Gall
Published by Am unnatural growth on a plant that is usually caused by the larvae of insects.
Gall
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
Gall can also be caused by Bacteria, fungi, slime moulds or worms called nematodes,The gall may be on root , a stem, aflower bud, a leaf or a flower.
Galls have many different shapes, Some are smooth and round like tiny balls. Others are rough and hairy. Some are shaped like tiny pine cones, or like a cluster of pointed stars. No one knows exactly how they grow. An insect deposits an egg inside the plant tissue. After the egg hatches the larva comes out, the plant tissue around the larva is stimulated chemically, and it develops rapidly into a gall aournd the larva, some galls Contain only one larva, while others have as many as a dozen.Birds sqirrels and insects often tear open the galls and eat the larvae, but many ofthe galls protect the larvae.
Many Insects that produce the galls are harmful to plants such as the hessian fly, which damages wheat crops. But some galls are valuable. The four winged gallfly larva makes a spongy ‘apple’ gall on oak trees. These galls contain tannin, a bitter substance used in leather tanning.
Galls that have commercial value are gathered in parts of Italy, Iran, Cyprus, Asia Miner, and Syria.
Liked it
