Nestronia umbellula

Family:SANTALACEAE
Species:Nestronia umbellula Raf.
Common Name:Leech Brush; Conjurer's Nut; Indian Olive
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Shrub
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:**
Plant Notes:Leech Brush is a native deciduous parasitic shrub in the Sandal-Wood family (Santalaceae). It can be found at scattered locations throughout Alabama. Leech Brush occurs in mixed pine/hardwood forests on steep slopes and mountain sides, and above streams and lakes. It is a rhizomatous and colonial shrub to 3 feet in height that is parasitic on the roots of other woody plants. The young stems are green and glabrous. Older stems have tight, smooth, dark gray bark. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, ovate-lanceolate in outline, with entire margins. The leaves are glabrous above and bright green in color. The lower surface of the leaf is glaucous and glabrous. Leech Brush is dioecious with separate male and female plants. The fragrant flowers are solitary (pistillate) or in pedunculate umbels (staminate) of 3-11 flowers from the leaf axils. Individual flowers have 3-5 green petals. The ovary is inferior. The fruit is a green spherical pseudodrupe. Colonies usually consist of clones of a single sex. Fruit are seldom observed. An alternate name of this species is “conjurer’s nut”, and the fruit was apparently highly prized by Native Americans. William Bartram stated that when “the Indians go in pursuit of deer, they carry this fruit with them, supposedly with the power of charming the animal to them”. Leech Brush is listed as an S3 species in Alabama (21 to 100 occurrences in the state), and globally as a G4 species (Imperiled globally because of rarity or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors).—A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native, S3 (State Rank), G4 (Global Rank)
References:**

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilySANTALACEAE - Sandal-Wood family
Genus Nestronia
Species Nestronia umbellula Raf. - Leech Brush; Conjurer's Nut; Indian Olive

Citation

Citation Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque, New Fl. 3: 13. 1836 [1838].
Basionym: **
Type: **

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

No synonyms exist for this species.

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Barbour, Bibb, Butler, Cherokee, Clarke, Conecuh, Cullman, DeKalb, Hale, Lawrence, Lee, Lowndes, Pike, Tuscaloosa, Winston

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, SAMF, TROY, UNA, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1881 - 1986

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
UWAL0004968 Clarke 30 May 2011 Webb, Wayne K.
s.n.
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
TROY000038182 Conecuh 28 Jul 2013 Diamond, Alvin R.
24400
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_67462 Clarke 15 Jun 2007 Keener, Brian R.
3693
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
UNA00020364 Cherokee 29 May 1986 Smith, T.E.
2045
UNA
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
UNA00020363 Lee 10 Apr 1897 Baker, Charles F.
11
UNA
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
AUA000043392 Cullman 7 May 1911 Wolf, Wolfgang
1233
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
TROY000042739 Conecuh 01 Jul 2014 Webb, Wayne K.
s.n.
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
UWAL0037350 Bibb 01 May 2017 Paris, Kyle
s.n.
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
UWAL0047127 Bibb 07 Sep 2013 Schotz, Alfred
2184
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
UNA00073082 Bibb 30 May 2016 Kleinman, Jonathan
10
UNA
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
TROY000008872 Pike 23 Apr 1998 Diamond, Alvin R.
s.n.
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_5546 Cullman 12 May 1887 Mohr, Charles C.
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
TROY000008871 Clarke 15 Jun 2007 Keener, Brian R.
3693
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_71245 Hale Huntley, Jimmy C.
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
UWAL0014158 Conecuh 28 Jul 2013 Diamond, Alvin R.
24400
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
UWAL0035115 Lawrence 08 Jun 2017 England, J. Kevin
7948
UWAL
Nestronia umnellula Rafinesque
UNA00020365 DeKalb 23 Apr 1949 Harper, Roland M.
4113
UNA
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
AUA000038396 Lawrence 8 Jun 2017 England, J. Kevin
7948
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
AUA_ACC_51287 Pike 27 Apr 1990 Diamond, Alvin R.
6844
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
UWAL0001768 Lowndes 27 Jul 2010 Diamond, Alvin R.
21491
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
UWAL0013682 Conecuh 01 Jul 2014 Webb, Wayne K.
s.n.
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
TROY000031937 Lowndes 27 Jul 2010 Diamond, Alvin R.
21419
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
TROY000033001 Clarke 30 May 2011 Webb, Wayne K.
s.n.
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
ALNHS00001098 Barbour 16 May 2012 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#462
ALNHS
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
ALNHS00003832 Cherokee 5 May 2016 Barger, T. Wayne
DLR-69
ALNHS
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
TROY000039826 Hale s.d. Huntley, Jimmy C.
s.n.
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
UWAL0004009 Clarke 15 Jun 2007 Keener, Brian R.
3693
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
TROY000037844 Butler 23 Apr 2013 Webb, Wayne K.
s.n.
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
UNA00061162 Tuscaloosa 27 Apr 2003 Spaulding, Daniel D.
11777
UNA
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
TROY000032365 Barbour 13 May 2010 Morris, M. Wayne
s.n.
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
UWAL0013730 Pike 06 May 2013 Diamond, Alvin R.
24001
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
UNA00061337 Winston 19 Jul 2001 Schotz, Alfred
1852
UNA
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
AUA000043393 Cullman 5 May 1921 Wolf, Wolfgang
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
UNA00020362 Cullman 15 May 1881 Mohr, Charles
s.n.
UNA
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
UWAL0002818 Barbour 13 May 2010 Morris, M. Wayne
s.n.
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
SAMF0003523 Clarke 15 Jun 2007 Keener, Brian R.
3693
SAMF
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
TROY000037739 Pike 06 May 2013 Diamond, Alvin R.
24001
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
UWAL0012952 Butler 23 Apr 2013 Webb, Wayne K.
s.n.
UWAL
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
TROY000023551 Tuscaloosa 27 Apr 2003 Spaulding, Daniel D.
11777
TROY
Nestronia umbellula Rafinesque
AUA_ACC_50255 Hale 10 May 1992 Stevens, Timothy E.
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
UNA00067074 Clarke 15 Jun 2007 Keener, Brian R.
3693
UNA
Nestronia umbellula Raf.
AUA000041213 Bibb 7 Sep 2013 Schotz, Alfred
2184
AUA
Nestronia Umbellula Raf.
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