Pyrularia pubera is a shrub in the sandalwood family which grows through the eastern United States from New York to Alabama, being mostly found in the Appalachian Mountains. It is commonly referred to as buffalo nut or oil nut. It grows up to 4 meters (13 ft) tall mostly in the shade of other trees. It is a parasitic plant, specifically a hemiparasite which while still photosynthetic, will also parasitize the roots of other plants around it. It can parasitize many hosts.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it poisonous?
We have no record of Buffalo-nut being toxic, poisonous or venomous. That is not proof that it is safe. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Ilex montana — considered toxic
Classification
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Santalales
- Family
- Santalaceae
- Genus
- Pyrularia
- Species
- Pyrularia pubera
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