Phyllocoptes eupadi Phyllocoptes eupadi Phyllocoptes eupadi is a mite that chemically induces a pouch gall to develop as a sub-spherical distortion rising up from the upper surface of the lamina of leaves of blackthorn shrubs "Prunus spinosa" and other "Prunus" spp. Synonyms are "Eriophyes padi" (Nalepa) and "Phytoptus padi prunianus" (Nalepa 1890). The gall's appearance on the upper surface is sub-spherical pustules, hairy and opening below, often clustering along the midrib, but also found over the whole leaf lamina surface and may vary in colour from pale yellow-green to deep red. The adult mite lives on sap, sucked from the cell tissues.
Prunus avium in classical schools, it must once more be said that cherry trees (at least the bird cherry) existed in Italy before Lucullus, and that the famous gourmet did not need to go far to seek the species with the sour or bitter fruit. De Candolle suggests that what Lucullus brought back was a particular cultivar of "Prunus avium" from the Caucasus. The origin of cultivars of "P. avium" is still an open question. Modern cultivated cherries differ from wild ones in having larger fruit, 2–3 cm diameter. The trees are often grown on dwarfing rootstocks to keep them smaller for