Phyllanthus tenellus
Phyllanthus amarus
Mascarene Island leaf-flower
carry me seed, Dixie leafflower, gale of wind
main stems terete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous; ultimate branchlets subterete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous.
main stems terete, not winged, glabrous; ultimate branchlets subterete, not winged, glabrous or slightly scabridulous proximally.
on main stems spiral, scalelike;
stipules not auriculate, reddish brown.;
leaves on ultimate branchlets distichous, well developed;
stipules not auriculate, pale green or pink with paler margins;
blade elliptic to obovate, 6–25 × 4–11 mm, base acute to rounded, apex acute to obtuse, both surfaces glabrous.
on main stems spiral, scalelike;
stipules not auriculate, pale brown.;
leaves on ultimate branchlets distichous, well developed;
stipules not auriculate, pale green with pale brown margins;
blade elliptic-oblong to obovate, 5–11 × 3–6 mm, base obtuse or rounded, apex obtuse to rounded, often apiculate, both surfaces glabrous.
cymules or flowers solitary, proximal bisexual with 1–2 pistillate flowers and 2–3 staminate flowers, distal with 1 pistillate flower.
cymules or flowers solitary, proximal staminate with 1–2 flowers, distal bisexual with 1 pistillate flower and 1 staminate flower.
staminate 0.5–1.5 mm, pistillate flexuous, capillary, and pendent in fruit, (2.5–)3–8 mm.
staminate 0.6–1.3 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, (1–)1.2–2 mm.
sepals 5, white except green midrib, flat, 0.4–0.7 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 5 glands;
stamens 5, filaments distinct.
sepals 5(–6), pale green, flat, 0.3–0.6 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 5 glands;
stamens (2–)3, filaments connate throughout.
sepals 5, white except green midrib, flat, 0.6–0.8 mm, 1-veined;
nectary annular, unlobed.
sepals (5–)6, green with broad pale green to white margins, flat, 0.8–1.1 mm, 1-veined;
nectary annular, 5(–7)-lobed.
1.7–1.9 mm diam., smooth.
1.9–2.1 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, 0.8–0.9 mm, evenly papillate.
uniformly brown, 0.9–1 mm, longitudinally ribbed.
= 26.
= 52 (Jamaica).
Phyllanthus tenellus
Phyllanthus amarus
Phyllanthus tenellus is easily recognized by its long, capillary pistillate pedicels that are flexuous and pendent in fruit; it is native to the Mascarene Islands and perhaps to eastern Africa, other western Indian Ocean Islands, and the Arabian Peninsula, and is widely naturalized in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. It appears to have been introduced into Florida in the 1920s and is continuing to spread. Phyllanthus tenellus has been reported from Arkansas (E. Sundell et al. 1999) and California as a nursery weed (G. F. Hrusa, pers. comm.), and from Oklahoma in flower beds (B. W. Hoagland, pers. comm.), and may be expected to become naturalized in those states.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Phyllanthus amarus, a pantropical weed, appears to be native to the American tropics. In the flora area, it is naturalized only in southern Florida, where it apparently was introduced sometime in the second half of the nineteenth century. It has been found in nursery stock in California (G. F. Hrusa, pers. comm.) and may become naturalized there.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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