Diastrophus potentillae
Cinquefoil bud gall wasp

Host: Dwarf cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis) and common cinquefoil (P. simplex).

Gall location: On the axil. Description: Single-chambered, globular swellings 8-13 millimeters in diameter. Sometimes with fine hairs. The chamber resides at the center of the gall and is surrounded by fleshy material that becomes spongy as the gall matures. Often with leaf remnants growing out of the outermost layer. Green when fresh to reddish in later stages.

Range: Throughout Northeastern and North-central North Ameica, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota and south to North Carolina and Tennessee.

This gall is often quite locally abundant, as its two host plants are rather weedy and occur in high density, especially in nutrient-poor environments.

- Louis Nastasi, Charles Davis: (2022) Field Guide to the Herb and Bramble Gall Wasps of North America^©