What to Post Here
A gall occurs when an organism causes a plant to grow something that it would not otherwise grow. This can range from a simple thickening of a leaf to complex structures that do not resemble the original plant. There is a lot of room for debate about what counts as a gall. In some cases, we do not have enough information to be sure.
So, what to post? The Gall Week team has adopted a generally broad range for this season's project.
Feel Free to Post
Spangles, blisters, stem swellings, and other abnormal growths, even if the cause may be genetic rather than an outside organism.
Rusts and smuts that force the plant to expand -- in a blister or stem swelling, for example (please exclude mere “dustings” that look like they could be brushed off like powder or cinders can be).
Leaf folds and other distortions that include some plant tissue growth.
Organisms that were living inside a gall, even though they may not be gall inducers themselves.
Please Do Not Post
Cocoons, lerps, leaves that are mechanically folded and glued, and anything else constructed by an insect with no participation by the host plant.
Leaf mines
Powdery mildew
Brown or dead areas on a leaf or other plant organ
Yellow or white leaf spots, where the plant has lost chlorophyll due to insect feeding or to aging.
Comments
thank you for the explanation... I had wondered on what to post or not to.
Quite impressed by the dedication of reviewers of ID. Wow.
@nancyasquith Please explain the difference between Host Plant ID and Host. Thank you.
@eogren I don't know why Merav included both. Either one is fine to use if you don't want to use both. If one is used by a gall project you post to, use that one. For example, of the two projects I post to, Galls of North America uses the "Host plant ID" field and Galls of CA uses "Host."
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