Oak gall wasps. From New Latin, altered from Late Latin cyniphes, “a kind of stinging insect,” corrupt form of Ancient Greek κνίψ (kníps), varying with σκνίψ (skníps)
Cherry galls are not plants or fruits. They are homes built by trees at the direction
of a wasp, specifically by
Cynips quercusfolii, a gall wasp. They are found on
Quercus frainetto,
Q. macranthera,
Q. petraea,
Q. pubescens,
Q. pyrenaica,
Q. robur, and rarely,
Q. cerris.
Plants: Cherry galls are created when a gall wasp
larva secretes substances on some oak species, commandeering the plant’s
cellular
machinery into building a “house.” The house acts as an incubation chamber,
food source, and complete miniature habitat for the larva. How cool is that?
Galls are ½-⅞″ (1.5-2.5 cm) in diameter, yellow-green with pink or bright red, sometimes
smooth and shiny, sometimes warty. The wasps themselves are less than ¼″ (6.3 mm) long and black, and the larva
occupies a tiny hollow in the middle of the gall.
Galls form from July to October, maturing in August.