The galls induced by this mite are easily distinguished by their position on the leaves. Either they occur on the lateral veins, or, when numerous, they are haphazardly scattered singly or in clusters on the upper surface of the leaf blade. The galls are small, variable in size, with hemispherical domes widely open on the underside. They range from yellow to yellowish tinged with red or pink, later becoming brown. The outer surface of the gall is covered with short, white hairs, and the interior is filled with erineum-like hairs, some of which project through the wide exit hole. A young leaf may have so many galls that its growth appears to be inhibited.
The host is buttonbush, a shrub that grows along streams and swamps in the Eastern and Western United States. Specimens were collected in Washington, D.C., and Florida.
”- Hartford Keifer,Edward Baker,Tokuwo Kono,Mercedes Delfinado,William Styer: (1982) An Illustrated Guide to Plant Abnormalities Caused by Eriophyid Mites in North America©