Phyllanthus polygonoides
Phyllanthus caroliniensis
knotweed leafflower, knotweed leaflower, smartweed leaf-flower
Carolina leaf-flower
terete, not winged, glabrous.
terete, not winged [narrowly winged], glabrous or scabridulous.
spiral, all well developed;
stipules auriculate, pink or red to medium brown, with hyaline margins;
blade narrowly oblong to obovate, 5–10 × 1.5–5 mm, base obtuse, apex acute to mucronulate, both surfaces glabrous or scabridulous.
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.
cymules or flowers solitary, unisexual or bisexual, with 1(–2) pistillate flowers and/or 1–3 staminate flowers.
cymules, bisexual, with 1–3(–5) pistillate flowers and 1–2 staminate flowers.
staminate 1.5–3.5 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 2.5–7 mm.
staminate 0.5–1 mm, pistillate sharply reflexed in fruit, 0.5–1(–1.5) mm.
sepals (5–)6, greenish yellow, sometimes suffused with red, with white margins, flat, 0.7–1.3 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments connate 2/3 length.
sepals (5–)6, pale yellowish green, flat, 0.5–0.7 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments distinct.
sepals (5–)6, green with white margins, flat, 1.5–2.5 mm, pinnately veined;
nectary annular, 6-lobed.
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.
2.7–3.2 mm diam., smooth.
1.6–2 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, (1.1–)1.2–1.4(–1.5) mm, irregularly verrucose.
uniformly brown, 0.7–1.1 mm, verrucose.
= 16.
= 36 (subsp. guianensis, West Indies).
Phyllanthus polygonoides
Phyllanthus caroliniensis
Phyllanthus polygonoides is closely related to P. liebmannianus. Although in the flora area they are allopatric and easily distinguished by the characters used in the key, the differences other than habit are all quantitative, and where the species overlap in parts of northeastern Mexico they can be difficult to separate.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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.)
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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