Phyllanthus abnormis
Phyllanthus niruri
abnormal leaflower, Drummond's leaf-flower
gale of the wind
main stems persistent, terete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous; ultimate branchlets deciduous, subterete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous.
main stems terete, not winged, glabrous; ultimate branchlets subterete, not winged, glabrous.
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.
on main stems spiral, scalelike;
stipules not auriculate, brown.;
leaves on ultimate branchlets distichous, well developed;
stipules not auriculate, brown;
blade elliptic, 11–20 × 4.5–9 mm, base obtuse to rounded, apex obtuse, both surfaces glabrous.
cymules, proximal staminate with 2 flowers, distal bisexual with 1 pistillate flower and 1–3 staminate flowers.
cymules or flowers solitary, unisexual, proximal with 3–7 staminate flowers, distal with 1 pistillate flower.
staminate 0.7–1.5 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, (1–)1.5–3(–3.5) mm.
staminate 1.2–1.8 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 4–7 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 green, flat, 1.5–3 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 5(–6) glands;
stamens 3, filaments connate 1/2 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, green, flat, 3–3.5 mm, pinnately veined;
nectary annular, unlobed.
2.3–2.7 mm diam., smooth.
3.5 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, 1.1–1.5 mm, longitudinally ribbed.
uniformly brown, 1.5–1.8 mm, verrucose.
= 26 (Costa Rica).
Phyllanthus abnormis
Phyllanthus niruri
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Phyllanthus niruri is found in the flora area only in DeWitt, Fayette, and Lavaca counties (and historically from Gonzales County, where it appears to be extirpated; L. E. Brown and S. J. Marcus 1998); it is widespread in the American tropics. Like P. urinaria, it is widely used in folk medicine and is the subject of intense pharmacological research. Plants from outside the West Indies and Caribbean northern South America often have been segregated as subsp. lathyroides; the differences are trivial and recent authors (G. L. Webster 2001; V. W. Steinmann 2007) did not subdivide the species.
(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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