Categories
Members

Alder Tongue Galls

Alder tounge gall, Taphrina alni, at FarmEd, August 2023. (M. Collins)

Maggie Collins writes: After the FarmEd lunch last Thursday (3 August), a few of us took a walk around the farm.  Down near the pond we spotted some young alder trees with interesting additions. 

We wondered if they could be some sort of gall and that’s what they turned out to be.  However, they were not the usual gall caused by a wasp but, instead, caused by a fungus, Taphrina alni.

The Wikipedia entry says: “Taphrina alni produces a distinctive tongue-like growth which derives mainly from the ovarian tissues of the alder catkin or from the bracteoles. These alder pseudocones may carry several tongue galls, each of which usually appear to come from the same position; those curling down usually come from the bracteoles tissues and those projecting upwards usually come from ovarian tissues.“

I let FarmEd know about them – they weren’t aware.

Maggie Collins 5 August 2023