Phyllanthus caroliniensis
Phyllanthus fluitans
Carolina leaf-flower
floating spurge, red root floater
terete, not winged [narrowly winged], glabrous or scabridulous.
terete, 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.
distichous; all well developed;
stipules auriculate, pale brown;
blade ± orbiculate, 9–17 mm diam., base cordate, apex rounded to shallowly emarginate, both surfaces papillate.
cymules, bisexual, with 1–3(–5) pistillate flowers and 1–2 staminate flowers.
cymules, bisexual, with 1–2 staminate and 1–2 pistillate flowers, or flowers solitary.
staminate 0.5–1 mm, pistillate sharply reflexed in fruit, 0.5–1(–1.5) mm.
staminate 0.5–1 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 0.5–1 mm.
sepals (5–)6, pale yellowish green, flat, 0.5–0.7 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments distinct.
sepals (5–)6, white or greenish white, flat, 1–1.4 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, (5–)6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments distinct.
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 (5–)6, white or greenish white, flat, 0.8–1.2 mm, 1-veined;
nectary annular, unlobed to lobed.
1.6–2 mm diam., smooth.
2.5–3 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, 0.7–1.1 mm, verrucose.
uniformly brown, 1–1.4 mm, verrucose.
= 36 (subsp. guianensis, West Indies).
Phyllanthus caroliniensis
Phyllanthus fluitans
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 fluitans, the only floating species in the genus, appears to be closely related to P. caroliniensis (H. Kathriarachchi et al. 2006). This popular aquarium plant was first discovered in the flora area in 2010 in the Peace River drainage, DeSoto County (G. J. Wilder and M. P. Sowinski 2010); it appears to be naturalized there despite intensive eradication efforts (M. P. Sowinski, pers. comm.).
(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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