Phyllanthus polygonoides
Phyllanthus ericoides
knotweed leafflower, knotweed leaflower, smartweed leaf-flower
heather leaf-flower
terete, not winged, glabrous.
terete, not winged, glabrous.
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.
persistent, spiral, all well developed;
stipules auriculate, pink with narrow white margins;
blade narrowly oblanceolate, 1.5–3.5(–5) × 0.7–1.5 mm, base obtuse to rounded, apex pungent, both surfaces glabrous.
cymules or flowers solitary, unisexual or bisexual, with 1(–2) pistillate flowers and/or 1–3 staminate flowers.
solitary flowers, staminate proximal, pistillate distal.
staminate 1.5–3.5 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 2.5–7 mm.
staminate 0.6–0.8 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 0.9–1.2 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 6, pale brownish green, flat, 0.9–1.2 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments connate throughout.
sepals (5–)6, green with white margins, flat, 1.5–2.5 mm, pinnately veined;
nectary annular, 6-lobed.
sepals 6, pale brownish green, flat, 1.1–1.4 mm, obscurely veined;
nectary annular, 6-lobed.
2.7–3.2 mm diam., smooth.
2 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, (1.1–)1.2–1.4(–1.5) mm, irregularly verrucose.
uniformly brown, 0.9–1 mm, verrucose.
= 16.
Phyllanthus polygonoides
Phyllanthus ericoides
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.)
Phyllanthus ericoides is known from only a few populations in Brewster and Terrell counties, Texas, and nearby Chihuahua and Coahuila, Mexico. Although stunted plants of the related P. polygonoides may resemble P. ericoides, the latter may be distinguished by its woody habit, pungent leaves, shorter pedicels, completely connate filaments, and smaller seeds. In addition, the woody base of P. ericoides is reported to smell like coffee with chicory (M. C. Johnston and B. H. Warnock 1963).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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