Eriophyes Sp.
Chadwick's No. 93.

Host Prunus nigra Ait.

A very much elongated pouch gall, greenish or whitish in colour, found on the upper side of the leaf with the opening on the under side.

All the characteristics of the normal mesophyll have been completely altered in the affected part of the leaf. Its cells, which, with the epidermis, constitute the wall of the gall, are larger than the normal and are elongated parallel to the long axis of the outgrowth. The upper epidermis which forms the epidermis of the gall has not been affected, but the cells of the lower epidermis which line the gall cavity have become much enlarged and in addition have produced a large number of closely set trichomes which project into the gall cavity. The nature of these is shown in the upper part of Fig. 5. These structures are often from 2 to 3 cells in length. Around the opening of the gall a circle of closely set acicular hairs occurs. The hairs on the outside of the gall and on the normal leaf are also of the acicular type. The vascular strands are much larger than those of the normal leaf but appear to be simply the stimulated normal veins.

The galls induced by Phytoptus emarginatae are familiar and typically pouch type. They are scattered at random over the surface of the leaves. Each gall is elongate, clávate or fingerlike, of variable length, and erect or oblique. It protrudes through the upper surface of the blade; occasionally two galls are coalesced. Generally the galls are most conspicuous when yellowish and beginning to turn light brown.

Phytoptus emarginatae appears to be widespread on several species of Prunus. It was first collected in galls on bitter cherry in California and subsequently in galls with Phytoptus prunidemissae on chokecherry in many areas of the Western United States. Other hosts include wild, common or European, wild-goose, and Sierra plums.