| Most Australian wattles lose these true leaves as they grow, and develop instead the leaf-like organ called a phyllode. |
| A colony is initiated by a single female who induces gall formation on a growing phyllode of a host Acacia tree. |
| To emphasize this difference, botanists call such an apparent leaf a phyllodium, or phyllode. |
| Single females, or a female-male pair, induce a gall on the phyllode of a specific host plant and become fully enclosed within a few days after initiation. |
| Gall induction by founders is only permitted when new phyllode growth is available for inoculation. |
| Damage to growing pitcher leaves prevent them from forming proper pitchers, and again, the plant produces a phyllode instead. |
