Question: Recently
I have had many Live Oak leaves to fall. This seems premature
and I have noticed that many of these leaves have round things
attached to the bottom of them. I have attached pictures of
them. Can you tell me what they are?
Answer:
These growths are galls which are common to Oaks and are most
often found on the underside of the leaves but also appear
on small twigs. They are spherical growths about the size
of a small pea and are the result of a small wasp laying her
egg in the leaf's tissue causing this abnormal growth to occur.
They are basically harmless but may cause these leaves to
fall earlier than normal. For more information on galls see
the Extension article at: http://extentopubs.tamu.edu/e-397.html
