Phyllanthus niruri
Phyllanthus fraternus
gale of the wind
gulf leaf-flower
main stems terete, not winged, glabrous; ultimate branchlets subterete, not winged, glabrous.
main stems angled, not winged, glabrous; ultimate branchlets subterete, narrowly winged, ± 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.
on main stems spiral, scalelike;
stipules not auriculate, pale green to nearly white.;
leaves on ultimate branchlets distichous, well developed;
stipules not auriculate, pale green to nearly white;
blade elliptic-oblong, 6–11 × 3–5 mm, base cuneate to obtuse, apex rounded, both surfaces glabrous.
cymules or flowers solitary, unisexual, proximal with 3–7 staminate flowers, distal with 1 pistillate flower.
cymules or flowers solitary, unisexual, proximal with 2–3 staminate flowers, distal with 1 pistillate flower.
staminate 1.2–1.8 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 4–7 mm.
staminate 0.2–0.5 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 1.3–2 mm.
sepals 5(–6), pale green, flat, 1.5–3 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 5(–6) glands;
stamens 3, filaments connate 1/2 length.
sepals 6, white to pale yellow, flat, 0.4–0.7 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments connate throughout.
sepals 5, green, flat, 3–3.5 mm, pinnately veined;
nectary annular, unlobed.
sepals 6, green with broad white margins, flat, (1–)1.2–1.5 mm, 1-veined;
nectary annular, 6–9-lobed.
3.5 mm diam., smooth.
2.1 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, 1.5–1.8 mm, verrucose.
uniformly brown, 0.9–1.1 mm, longitudinally ribbed.
= 26 (Costa Rica).
Phyllanthus niruri
Phyllanthus fraternus
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.)
Phyllanthus fraternus, native to Pakistan and northwest India, apparently was introduced into the United States in the 1950s, first in Louisiana, and has spread mainly along the Gulf Coast.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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