page_title: Aceria chondrillae
section_title: Impact on chondrilla
hierarchical_section_title: Aceria chondrillae / Impact on chondrilla
caption_attribution_description: English: Chondrilla plant exhibiting galls from Eriophyes chondrillae
context_page_description: Aceria chondrillae is a gall forming deuterogynous, eriophyid often used as a biological control of the noxious weed, Chondrilla juncea, a highly competitive herbaceous perennial composite found in Europe, Asia, Australia and North America.
context_section_description: The chondrilla plant exhibits galls when infested by A. chondrillae. These galls appear as clusters of tiny, hyperplastic buds reaching a size of 1.5–2 cm in diameter, and in some cases up to 5 cm. Hundreds of mites can be contained within each gall.
  The development of the galls impede the health, growth, and reproduction abilities of the plant by:
  destroying the flower buds in gall formation, reducing and suppressing seed production.
  compromising the apical shoots, resulting in a diminished regenerative capacity. Particularly efficacious in plants infested early, gall formations block shoot development on the apical growing points, stunting growth, distorting adjacent stems, associated foliage and in some cases causing death.
  weakening the plant through the presence and production of large galls. The plant often turns yellow early from premature decline.
  A. chondrillae has been recognized to affect plants of the Chondrilla genus: C. juncea, C. juncea f. acantholepis, C. brevirostris and C. leiosperma.
caption: Chondrilla plant exhibiting galls from Eriophyes chondrillae. Image by Eric Coombs, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.com
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