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abnormal leaflower, Drummond's leaf-flower

Habit Herbs, annual, sometimes becoming woody and then appearing to be perennial, monoecious, 1–5 dm; branching phyllanthoid.
Stems

main stems persistent, terete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous; ultimate branchlets deciduous, subterete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous.

Leaves

on main stems spiral, scalelike;

stipules not auriculate, pale reddish brown.;

leaves on ultimate branchlets distichous, well developed;

stipules not auriculate, greenish white;

blade elliptic to oblong, 3–10 × 1–4 mm, base cuneate to subcordate, apex obtuse to emarginate, both surfaces glabrous or scabridulous.

Inflorescences

cymules, proximal staminate with 2 flowers, distal bisexual with 1 pistillate flower and 1–3 staminate flowers.

Pedicels

staminate 0.7–1.5 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, (1–)1.5–3(–3.5) mm.

Staminate flowers

sepals 5–6 in basal cymules, 4 in distal cymules, pale yellowish green, sometimes suffused with red, flat, 0.5–1 mm;

nectary extrastaminal, 4(–6) glands;

stamens 2(–3 in basal cymules), filaments connate throughout.

Pistillate flowers

sepals 5–6, green with nearly white margins, flat, (0.5–)0.7–1.1 mm, 1-veined;

nectary 3 glands (2-fid distally, thus resembling 6 glands).

Capsules

2.3–2.7 mm diam., smooth.

Seeds

uniformly brown, 1.1–1.5 mm, longitudinally ribbed.

Phyllanthus abnormis

Distribution
from FNA
FL; NM; OK; TX; ne Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Key
1. Pistillate nectary glands strongly unequal, spatulate, as long as or longer than broad; leaf blades glabrous on both surfaces or sparsely to moderately scabridulous abaxially; bisexual cymules with 1 staminate flower.
var. abnormis
1. Pistillate nectary glands subequal, reniform, broader than long; leaf blades densely scabridulous on both surfaces; bisexual cymules with 1–3 staminate flowers.
var. riograndensis
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 343.
Parent taxa Phyllanthaceae > Phyllanthus
Sibling taxa
P. acidus, P. amarus, P. angustifolius, P. caroliniensis, P. ericoides, P. evanescens, P. fluitans, P. fraternus, P. liebmannianus, P. niruri, P. pentaphyllus, P. polygonoides, P. tenellus, P. urinaria, P. warnockii
Subordinate taxa
P. abnormis var. abnormis, P. abnormis var. riograndensis
Name authority Baillon: Adansonia 1: 42. (1860)
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