Oak Gall (?) identification

[Andreas Gminder]

Dear Dr. Wilson,

some thoughts about the object on the Quercus leaves:

1. The general look of this object would suggest a belonging to the
fungal group of ascomycetes, and there perhaps to the Dermateaceae. This
family has many species which are +/- erumpent from plant tissue, and
also from leaves.

2. The black region on the leaves would support this theory as it could
be a stromatized area caused by the hyphae of this fungi. I suppose the
outline in form of a star to be accidentally and not characteristic for
a certain species/genus.


B U T :

I don't know a species or a genus of discomycetes/dermateaceae which is:
- superficial in mature stage *AND*
- of bright colours as the picture on the mentioned webside *AND*
- as carneous in appereance as the pictures shows

So it my well be not a fungus.
I think a cross section through one fruitbody would solve this problem
immediately. If it is a fungus, it should most likely be thought in the
Dermateaceae, I suppose.

Not being really a help,
with best regards from Germany
Andreas Gminder