medicinal herbs
Oil Nut
Pyrularia pubera
Herb: Oil Nut
Latin name: Pyrularia pubera
Family: Santalaceae (Sandalwood Family)
Medicinal use of Oil Nut:
The plant has been used as a salve on old sores. The seed has been chewed to cause vomiting in the treatment of colic.Description of the plant:
Plant:
DeciduousShrub
Height:
3.5 m(11 feet)
Flowering:
May toJune
Habitat of the herb:
Rich woods, where it is parasitic on the roots of deciduous trees and shrubs, most commonly on Tsuga carolina.Edible parts of Oil Nut:
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?Propagation of the herb:
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.Cultivation of Oil Nut:
Rich woods, where it is parasitic on the roots of deciduous trees and shrubs, most commonly on Tsuga carolina.Known hazards of Pyrularia pubera:
The whole plant, especially the fruit, contains an acrid poisonous oil.Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.