Much branched shrub to 5 m, parasitic on the roots of woody plants; lvs thin, petiolate, ovate-oblong to obovate, 5-15 cm, ±acuminate, acute to rounded at base, puberulent when young; staminate racemes 3-8 cm, many-fld; fertile racemes shorter and fewer-fld; tep triangular- ovate, acute, 2 mm, bearing a tuft of hairs behind and ±adherent to each stamen; fr 1.5-3 cm, with thin exocarp and large stone; endosperm very oily. Oak-hickory forest in the mts.; w. Va. to s. Pa. and e. Ky., s. to Ga. May.

Gleason, Henry A. & Cronquist, Arthur J. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. lxxv + 910 pp.

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