Phyllanthus caroliniensis
Phyllanthus angustifolius
Carolina leaf-flower
foliage flower, swordbush
terete, not winged [narrowly winged], glabrous or scabridulous.
main stems terete, not winged, glabrous; ultimate branchlets deciduous, flat cladodes to 1 cm wide, not winged, glabrous.
distichous; all well developed;
stipules auriculate, pale brown or reddish brown;
blade elliptic or oblong to obovate, 5–20(–30) × 2–10(–15) mm, base acute, apex obtuse to rounded and apiculate, both surfaces glabrous or scabridulous.
on main stems deciduous, spiral, scalelike;
stipules not auriculate, dark brown.;
leaves on ultimate branchlets caducous, distichous, scalelike;
stipules absent.
cymules, bisexual, with 1–3(–5) pistillate flowers and 1–2 staminate flowers.
cymules, bisexual or staminate, with 1–2(–3) pistillate and/or 2–5 staminate flowers.
staminate 0.5–1 mm, pistillate sharply reflexed in fruit, 0.5–1(–1.5) mm.
staminate (1–)2–6 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, (1–)2–4(–7) mm.
sepals (5–)6, pale yellowish green, flat, 0.5–0.7 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments distinct.
sepals 6, purplish pink to cream, flat, (0.8–)1–1.5(–2.3) mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 6 distinct glands;
stamens 3(–5), filaments connate 1/2–3/4 length.
sepals (5–)6(–7), green, often suffused with red, with scarious margins, flat, 0.6–1.4 mm, 1-veined;
nectary cupular or annular, lobed or unlobed.
sepals 6, purplish pink to cream, flat, 1–1.5(–2.2) mm, 1-veined;
nectary annular, undulate or crenulate.
1.6–2 mm diam., smooth.
3–4 mm diam., finely wrinkled.
uniformly brown, 0.7–1.1 mm, verrucose.
uniformly brown, 1.4–2.6 mm, irregularly verrucose.
= 36 (subsp. guianensis, West Indies).
Phyllanthus caroliniensis
Phyllanthus angustifolius
Subspecies 4 (2 in the flora).
Phyllanthus caroliniensis is the most widespread Phyllanthus in the flora area and in the Americas. In addition to the two subspecies in the flora, there are two others. Subspecies guianensis (Klotzsch) G. L. Webster, found in the West Indies, Central America, and northern South America, is similar to subsp. caroliniensis but distinguished by longer stipules (1.5–2 mm versus 0.8–12 mm) and staminate nectary glands that are longer than wide (versus as wide or wider than long). Subspecies stenopterus (Müller Arg.) G. L. Webster, of southern Central America and northern South America, is recognizable by its narrowly winged stems.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Phyllanthus angustifolius is cultivated as an ornamental throughout the West Indies and in Florida. It has become naturalized in southern Florida (Miami-Dade and Monroe counties). The flattened ultimate branchlets are strikingly leaflike; their correct homology is demonstrated by the cymules of flowers borne along the margins. J. K. Small (1933) referred the Florida plants to Xylophylla angustifolia var. linearis Swartz, but that name is a synonym of P. arbuscula (Swartz) J. F. Gmelin, a West Indian species that also is cultivated in Florida but does not appear to have become naturalized there.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Pistillate sepals 0.2–0.3 mm wide; leaf blade vein reticulum clearly visible abaxially; stems glabrous; cymules with 1 staminate and (1–)2–3(–5) pistillate flowers; pistillate nectary cupular, unlobed, enclosing ovary 1/3–1/2 length. | subsp. caroliniensis |
1. Pistillate sepals (0.2–)0.3–0.5(–0.7) mm wide; leaf blade vein reticulum obscure or invisible abaxially; stems usually sparsely to densely scabridulous; cymules with 1–2 staminate and 1–2 pistillate flowers; pistillate nectary annular, unlobed or 6-lobed, enclosing ovary basally. | subsp. saxicola |
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