Leechbrush, Nestronia umbellula, is a rare hemiparasitic
shrub, which is listed as threatened in Georgia,
and endangered in Kentucky, Tennessee,
and Virginia.As far as I recall I’ve seen it once at a
nature preserve in northeast Alabama.It is rare because it is dioecious and many
of the widely separated populations are either only male or only female thus incapable of
sexual reproduction due to isolation.William
Bartram first reported it in 1773, but it was not officially described until 1836.A couple other interesting rare species in
the same family are piratebush, Buckleya
distichophylla, and buffalo nut, Pyrularia
pubera.
