''Pyrularia'' is a small genus of shrubs or small trees in the sandalwood family (Santalaceae) which contains two species, '' Pyrularia pubera'' and '' Pyrularia edulis''. ''P. pubera'' grows in the eastern United States and ''P. edulis'' grows in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Both species are

parasitic plant A parasitic plant is a plant that derives some or all of its nutritional requirements from another living plant. They make up about 1% of angiosperms and are found in almost every biome. All Parasite, parasitic plants develop a specialized organ ...

s, specifically hemiparasites, which while still photosynthetic, will also parasitize the roots of other plants around them.

Taxonomy

The genus was first formally named in 1803 by French botanist

André Michaux André Michaux (' → ahn- mee-; sometimes Anglicisation, anglicised as Andrew Michaud; 8 March 174611 October 1802) was a French botanist and explorer. He is most noted for his study of North American flora. In addition Michaux collected specime ...

. The name ''Pyrularia'' derives from the Latin ''pyrus'' meaning "

pear Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus ''Pyrus'' , in the Family (biology), family Rosaceae, bearing the Pome, po ...

" and ''aria'' meaning "connecting" — this relates to the shape of the fruit.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q9064978 Santalaceae Santalaceae genera Taxa described in 1803 Taxa named by André Michaux