# What is this (possibly tree-related) thing? We're dying to know. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 26, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597 "2014-08-26T23:00:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/1 "2014-08-26T23:00:24Z")
Yesterday, SE MI, in the woods under primarily mature oak and maple trees. There were lots of these things on the ground, along with acorns. We saw acorns up in the oaks, but nothing even closely resembling these little spotted balls anywhere. I thought perhaps some type of fungus? But the trees in the area all looked healthy and we saw no evidence of them attached to anything else, either trees or ground cover. Just on the ground. I cut some in half: dense, juicy, no odor. I’m also positive it’s not fungus. Any ideas? [![](http://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) ](http://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/2 "2014-08-26T23:16:48Z")
It’s a [gall](http://www.hsu.edu/pictures.aspx?id=1670). ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/3 "2014-08-26T23:23:48Z")
Keep them around long enough and you might see wasps coming out. [http://www.blogsmonroe.com/nature/2012/09/marbles-under-the-red-oak-tree/](http://www.blogsmonroe.com/nature/2012/09/marbles-under-the-red-oak-tree/) ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2014, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/4 "2014-08-26T23:30:41Z")
I love galls. I found some awesome pink-spined turban galls on a valley oak here in the Bay area, put one in a jar and waited for the wasp to come on out. It was a teensy little thing, smaller than a fruit fly, solitary and harmless, unlike the yellowjackets most people think of when they hear “wasp.” I look under the leaves of just about every oak tree I see now 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/5 "2014-08-27T00:06:24Z")
Huh, cool! Galls, and now I know what they are. Also now I feel sort of badly for cutting them open. Sorry, little wasps. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/6 "2014-08-27T00:57:38Z")
galls are a wound to the tree. resins and tannins may gather there. these might be used for pigments. ---
**Author:** ![rsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/839c29/32.png) [@rsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rsa)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/7 "2014-08-27T02:55:50Z")
Or they could just be “spotted balls” which are used as a garnish for [spotted dick.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_dick) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tacit\_Knowledge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@Tacit\_Knowledge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tacit_Knowledge)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/8 "2014-08-30T06:26:45Z")
If they weren’t so small I’d have said they are “dinosaur egg plouts”, a delicious plum-related (i believe) fruit. The"dinosaur egg" variety looks a heck of a lot like that. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/9 "2014-08-30T08:49:53Z")
You’d never be able to cut a plumcot exactly in half like that though. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/10 "2014-08-30T09:38:44Z")
> [@rsa](#): > > Or they could just be “spotted balls” which are used as a garnish for [spotted dick.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_dick) 🙂 Wikipedia has it wrong - Spotted Dick is made from suet not sponge. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/11 "2014-08-30T10:33:02Z")
Karma got me a couple of days ago, for cutting open that gall: Some sort of small, aggressive wasp chased and stung me on the ankle and it is still itchy and painful. I know those gall wasps don’t sting, but whatever it was, it was smaller than a yellow jacket and the sting was _way_ worse than a yellow jacket sting. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-possibly-tree-related-thing-were-dying-to-know/696597/12 "2014-08-30T22:29:13Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > It’s a [gall](http://www.hsu.edu/pictures.aspx?id=1670). From that page: > [@](#): > > Galls are abnormal, vegetative growths that are usually formed as a response by plants to the action of fungus, mites, or insects such as wasps, aphids, and true bugs. Well, I’ll be danged: Land Pearls!! 🙂