Photo by Jim Brighton. Spiny Witch-hazel Gall Aphid Hamamelistes spinosus feeding along the edges of leaves. Wikipedia . However, some preparations contain alcohol, which can dry out and irritate skin. 1958. In early summer it moves on to witch hazel foliage, but will not infest any other plant. Witch hazel and witch hazel pads are often used liberally. Aphids are garden pests that feed on a variety of greens, and the sticky substance an infestation secretes can cause black sooty mold and attract ants that collect the excrement for food. -Witch Hazels are largely pest resistant, though occasional scale and aphids will be a problem, especially if over fertilized in mid to late spring. The aphid’s offspring then develop inside the gall where they are protected from predators as they develop, getting the nutrients they need from the sap of the plant. During ‘Episode 10 - Witch Hazel Rising: An Explosive Late Bloomer’ we found a bunch of conical galls growing on the Witch-hazel leaves. THE APHID HORMAPHIS HAMAMELIDIS IVEY F. LEWIS University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia LUCILE WALTON George Washington High School, Danville, Virginia INTRODUCTION The present paper deals only with the pocket or cone-gall of witch hazel, Hamamelis virginiana L., caused by the aphid Hormaphis hamamelidis Fitch. Please try to find a suitable image on Wikimedia Commons or upload one there yourself! At this time of year there is a species of aphid, Hormaphis hamamelidis, that is laying eggs on Witch-hazel branches. Small holes in the gall indicate that the inhabitants have escaped to repeat the cycle. They are particularly rich in gallate esters included in proanthocyanidins, hydrolyzable tannins (galloylated sugars), and methyl gallate. This paper is a very thorough study of the witch hazel gall aphids… A rapid radiation is consistent with aphid fossils, which record the presence of few subfamilies in the late Cretaceous, but most extant tribes by the early Tertiary. Next spring female aphids will hatch out of these eggs and begin feeding on newly-emerged Witch-hazel leaves. The witch-hazel cone gall aphid (Hormaphis hamamelidis) is a minuscule insect, a member of the aphid superfamily, whose presence on a witch-hazel plant is easily recognizable by a conical gall structure, green at first, it turns bright red. Witch-Hazel leaf gall aphid causes galls 1/2-inch-long. In the spring this aphid feeds on river birch leaves. We argue that aphids experienced a rapid radiation at the tribal level, after host shifting from gymnosperms to angiosperms. Home Knowledge Traditional knowledge Traditional medicine Witch-hazel. Witch-hazel Cone Gall Aphids Laying Eggs. 1388-1389. Is it possible that one shrub can act as a “sink” for the aphid infestation, or is it more likely that the next generations will spread to the other witch hazels, this season or next? At the st "Biting the Plant that Feeds You" Aphid info sheet Millie Davenport, ©2006, HGIC Clemson Extension. Spiny witch hazel gall aphid. Witch hazel (Hamamelis virginia) extracts are used in traditional medicine. (2020). Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Propagation of witch hazels is usually accomplished by seed for the species, while named cultivars are typically rooted from stem cuttings or grafted. Propagation by cuttings is possible using firm wood in late summer. Branches may be stripped of foliage and small trees may be defoliated. Galls created by witch hazel cone gall aphid. Ozark witch hazel is a deciduous flowering shrub or small tree native to the Ozark Plateau from southern Missouri through northwestern Arkansas east to Oklahoma where it grows in moist areas and can form large colonies. No real lasting harm will be done by these galls. Here are the top 8 benefits and uses of witch hazel. 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