Nestronia umbellula Raf.

Leech Brush; Conjurer's Nut; Indian Olive

Shrub

Perennial

Vascular

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.

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Native S3 (State Rank) G4 (Global Rank)

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