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Tree identity - Oak? But not acorns..

melllymellGmelllymellG Posts: 8
in Plants
Hello forum friends..

A friend & I have a query..out on a country walk we came across what looks like an Oak tree sapling..However the nut/seed doesn't look like a normal acorn so wondered if anyone could shed light on what this is??

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited September 2018
    That’s a gall caused by a gall wasp laying an egg in the tree. The gall forms around it and the larva grows inside. The hole is where it emerged. They’re colloquially known as ‘oak apples’  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    It's a wasp gall. Basically a wasp lays eggs into the leaf bud and the larvae corrupts the growth to make a gall to protect itself while it grows. There's quite a few different types that effect oak trees but these are called oak marble galls or oak apples. They used to be collected to make into ink.

    I have one on a shelf over my desk and it hatched one day.



    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • melllymellGmelllymellG Posts: 8
    Thanks so much - mystery solved! In awe of how much knowledge you all have on here.. :)
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    Called Oak apples because when they first erupt they are bright red.
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