Taphrina pruni Taphrina pruni Taphrina pruni is a fungal plant pathogen of blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) that causes the Pocket or bladder Plum gall, a chemically induced distortion of the fruit (sloes), producing swollen on one side, otherwise deformed and flattened fruit gall without a stone. The twigs on infected plants may also be deformed with small strap-shaped leaves. "T. pruni" produces a distinctive tongue-like growth, similar to other closely related species such as "Taphrina alni" on Alder ("Alnus glutinosa") and "Taphrina padi" on Bird Cherry "Prunus padus". The growth is the distorted fruit and not a fungus in its entirety. "T. pruni"
Prunus sibirica Prunus sibirica Prunus sibirica, called Siberian apricot (), is a species of shrub or small tree native to eastern China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and eastern Siberia. It is in the genus "Prunus" in the rose family, Rosaceae, one of several species whose fruit are called apricot, although this species is rarely cultivated for its fruit. The species was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The species is highly genetically diverse. It grows in the form of a small tree with spreading branches and reaches a height of . It is very frost resistant and can survive temperatures down to .