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Common Name: Oil Nut

General Information

Pyrularia pubera is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 3.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

The whole plant, especially the fruit, contains an acrid poisonous oil[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Eastern N. America - W. Vancouver to Alabama.

Habitat

Rich woods[], where it is parasitic on the roots of deciduous trees and shrubs[], most commonly on Tsuga carolina[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.50 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Parasitic on the roots of a range of trees and shrubs, but most commonly Tsuga carolina, this plant needs to grow close to a host tree. It requires a well-drained but moisture retentive lime-free soil[].

Edible Uses

Fruit[, , ]. Caution is advised since the fruit is said to be permeated with an acrid oil[, ]. The pear-shaped fruit is about 25mm long[].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[]. Is this different from the acrid poisonous oil of the fruit?[]

Medicinal

The plant has been used as a salve on old sores[].
The seed has been chewed to cause vomiting in the treatment of colic[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe into a pot containing a small host tree. Stored seed will require 3 months cold stratification before it is sown[]. Grow on in a cold frame until the plant is large enough to plant out and then plant it close to a mature host tree. Remove the small host tree once the plant is well established[].