Phyllanthus abnormis
Phyllanthus abnormis var. abnormis
abnormal leaflower, Drummond's leaf-flower
Drummond's leaf-flower
main stems persistent, terete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous; ultimate branchlets deciduous, subterete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous.
glabrous to densely scabridulous.
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.
blades glabrous on both surfaces or sparsely to moderately scabridulous abaxially.
cymules, proximal staminate with 2 flowers, distal bisexual with 1 pistillate flower and 1–3 staminate flowers.
staminate 0.7–1.5 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, (1–)1.5–3(–3.5) mm.
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.
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).
2.3–2.7 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, 1.1–1.5 mm, longitudinally ribbed.
cymules with 1 staminate flower.
nectary glands strongly unequal, spatulate, as long as or longer than broad.
Phyllanthus abnormis
Phyllanthus abnormis var. abnormis
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Variety abnormis is disjunct between peninsular Florida and Texas, southwestern Oklahoma, southeastern New Mexico, and northern Tamaulipas. The Florida plants generally have three stamens in one of the two staminate flowers in the proximal cymules; both flowers have only two stamens in the western plants. The stems are consistently smooth in Florida, southern Texas, and Tamaulipas, but usually moderately to densely scabridulous elsewhere. The hypothesis by G. L. Webster (1970) that plants of var. abnormis with scabridulous stems show introgression from var. riograndensis is unlikely because populations of var. abnormis growing closest to var. riograndensis have smooth stems.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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 |
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