Exocarpos

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plant in the mistletoe family Santalaceae}}

{{Automatic taxobox

|image = Exocarpos cupressiformis.jpg

|image_caption = Cherry ballart (Exocarpos cupressiformis)

|taxon = Exocarpos

|authority = Pers.

|subdivision_ranks = Species

|subdivision = See text

}}

Exocarpos is a genus of flowering shrubs and small trees in the sandalwood family, Santalaceae. They are found throughout Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific Islands.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

They are semi-parasitic, requiring the roots of a host tree, a trait they share with many other members of the Santalaceae.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

In Australia, some species are also known as ballarts or cherries.

The genus Exocarpos was first described by Jacques Labillardière on 7 May 1792:

I discovered an evergreen tree, which has its nut situated, like that of the acajou, upon a fleshy receptacle much larger than itself. I therefore named this new genus exocarpos. . . . The principal characters of this plant have led me to rank it among the terebinthinaceous tribe, next to the anacardium. I have given it the name of exocarpos cupressiformis.{{Cite book |last=Labillardière |first=Jacques Julien Houton de |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/79817#page/214/mode/1up |title=Voyage in search of La Pérouse : performed by order of the Constituent Assembly, during the years 1791, 1792, 1793, and 1794 |last2=Labillardière |first2=Jacques Julien Houton de |publisher=John Stockdale |year=1800 |volume=1 |location=London |pages=198-199 |language=English |trans-title=Relation du Voyage à la Recherche de la Pérouse}}
Convention dictates that the taxon is often expressed as Exocarpos Labill. 1798.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

The name exocarpos derives from the Greek exo (outside) and caryon (nut).{{Cite web |title=Seeds of South Australia - Species Information |url=https://spapps.environment.sa.gov.au/SeedsOfSA/speciesinformation.html?rid=1928 |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=spapps.environment.sa.gov.au}}

Within Australia, an identification key is available for New South Wales species,{{cite web |title=Genus Exocarpos |url=http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=gn&name=Exocarpos |website=PlantNET |publisher=National Herbarium of NSW |accessdate=26 January 2019}} and for Victorian species.{{Cite web|url=https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/key/2457|title="Key to Exocarpos", Flora of Victoria|website=vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au|access-date=2019-08-24}}

''Exocarpos'' species

References

{{Reflist}}