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 fruticosa the pun are "fructus" or "frux", from "fruor", "enjoy" - a fruit is a result enjoyed - and "frutex", "shrub", adjective "fruticosus", "bushy", from a totally different root. "Prunus" is a grammatical feminine, so "Prunus fruticosa" agrees in gender. However, Pallas says "Haec mihi tantum fructibus suis innotuit, qui distinctam itidem speciem indicare videntur", "It came to my attention at last because of its fruit, which repeatedly seemed to indicate a distinct species." The fruit seemed "fere Pruni forma", "nearly in the form of "Prunus"", especially because "praedita oblongo nucleo", "furnished with an oblong seed." So, Pallas moved it from