Phyllanthus abnormis
Phyllanthus evanescens
abnormal leaflower, Drummond's leaf-flower
birdseed leafflower
main stems persistent, terete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous; ultimate branchlets deciduous, subterete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous.
proximally terete, distally compressed, winged, 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.
distichous, all well developed;
stipules auriculate, pale green with pale brown margins;
blade elliptic or oblong, 8–20 × 2.5–10 mm, base obtuse to rounded, apex acute to obtuse, both surfaces glabrous.
cymules, proximal staminate with 2 flowers, distal bisexual with 1 pistillate flower and 1–3 staminate flowers.
cymules, bisexual, with 1–2(–3) pistillate flowers and 1–3 staminate flowers.
staminate 0.7–1.5 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, (1–)1.5–3(–3.5) mm.
staminate 0.5–0.8 mm, pistillate sharply reflexed in fruit, (1–)1.4–1.8(–2.2) 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, pale brownish green with narrow white margins, flat, 0.5–0.7 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 5–6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments connate basally to most of length.
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).
sepals (5–)6, green (sometimes tinged pink) with narrow white margins, flat, 0.7–1.2 mm, 1-veined;
nectary annular, unlobed.
2.3–2.7 mm diam., smooth.
2.8–3.2 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, 1.1–1.5 mm, longitudinally ribbed.
uniformly brown, 1.3–1.5 mm, irregularly verrucose.
Phyllanthus abnormis
Phyllanthus evanescens
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Plants from the United States and northeastern Mexico generally have been called Phyllanthus pudens and from the rest of Mexico and Central America P. evanescens. Characters used to distinguish these species (fruiting pedicel length and seed size) overlap broadly and recent authors treat them as synonyms (G. L. Webster 2001; V. W. Steinmann 2007). A report of P. evanescens (as P. pudens) from Arkansas (E. Sundell et al. 1999) is based on introduced plants in a nursery; it does not appear to have become established there. The species is introduced in Alabama, first collected there in 2012.
(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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