Editing Gall (section)

{{short description|Abnormal growths especially on plants induced by parasitic insects and other organisms}}
{{about|the abnormal growths in plants}}
[[File:Andricus lignicola - Cola-nut Gall.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|[[Cola-nut gall]]s (''[[Andricus lignicola]]'') on [[pedunculate oak]], caused by a cynipid [[gall wasp]] ]]

'''Galls''' (from the [[Latin]] {{lang|la|galla}}, 'oak-apple') or '''''cecidia''''' (from the Greek {{transliteration|grc|kēkidion}}, anything gushing out) are a kind of swelling growth on the external [[Tissue (biology)|tissues]] of plants. Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gall |title=gall(4) |website=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary |accessdate=November 16, 2007 |quote=an abnormal outgrowth of plant tissue usually due to insect or mite parasites or fungi and sometimes forming an important source of tannin}}</ref> of [[plant]] tissues, similar to [[benign tumor]]s or [[wart]]s in animals. They can be caused by various [[parasite]]s, from [[virus]]es, [[fungi]] and [[bacteria]], to other [[plant]]s, [[insect]]s and [[mite]]s. Plant galls can be such highly organized structures that their cause can be determined without the actual agent being identified. This applies particularly to insect and mite plant galls. The study of plant galls is known as cecidology.