Histological relationship of Phytobia setosa to Acer saccharum

Abstract

The maple cambium miner, Phytobia setosa (Loew), attacks Acer spp., producing ray flecks which result in degrade in face veneer and furniture wood. Samples from infested sugar maple, Acer saccharum Marsh, trees demonstrated that while mines passed close to the vascular cambium the initial cells were not affected. Thus, although it is called a cambium miner it does not mine the cambium. Mines filled with parenchyma cells which proliferated from severed vascular rays. These cells, when mature, stored starch. In heavily infested trees the starch storage area in the xylem may thus be measurably increased. The zone of newly differentiating xylem provides the insect with the path of least resistance; variation in the condition of secondary xylem may account for the variability in host susceptibility.

Citation

Gregory, Robert; Wallner, William. 1979. Histological relationship of Phytobia setosa to Acer saccharum. Canadian Journal of Botany. 57: 403-407.