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Photo#1325931
Spherical galls, aster

Spherical galls, aster
Bartz Prairie, Allamakee County, Iowa, USA
August 28, 2016
Small, spherical galls on an aster...heath aster, I believe (Symphyotrichum ericoides...could someone confirm that plant ID for me?). Hill prairie.

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Spherical galls, aster Spherical galls, aster

Plant ID and Galls
Yes I have seen these galls in Manitoba on Symphyotrichum ericoides.

 
Good to know, thanks!
*

maybe..
Gagné’s Red Book: Aster
1a Smooth or rough, hard stem swelling
1b Leaf or bud gall..................................3
3b Bud gall.............................................4
4b Nonleafy bud gall or modified flower .....6
6b Galls among flowers or modified flower...8
8a Gall ovoid, white-haired, larger than florets (with a drawing) Rhopalomyia spp.
He then lists 3 sapecies associated with 3 different Asters.
R. gemmaria (stebbins). Host: A. ericoides.Dist: Massachusetts

 
Worth keeping in mind
That a number of things aren't in the red book. Several things I sent to Ray aren't yet known.

 
Which is
why I said maybe.
So little time, so many mysteries.

 
Yes
And so much fun too.

 
Thanks you two
:-)

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

 
Probably yes
Here in Oklahoma, I have trouble sometimes with ericoides vs. oblongifolia, but I think you are right.
Meanwhile, these galls are very common here in Oklahoma, yet for some reason not this year! (now that I am starting to rear galls). My best guess from limited experience is Asphondylia, as I have reared such midges from similar galls on Ambrosia, Elephantopus, and Ratibida.

 
Very good to know
Interesting that they are common there in OK. Thanks for taking a look. If you rear it, I hope you'll share the results!

 
Definitely will!
As a field botanist, over the years many wildlife biologists have taken me scraps of plants to identify (this is a conservative land grant school, so all wild plants are good for are as food or shelter for game). One of the most common plants is "well, it looks like a heath aster but it's buds don't". With that description, I usually don't need to even look at the specimen.
Thus, I have a long-standing interest in figuring this one out.

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