Phyllanthus tenellus
Phyllanthus ericoides
Mascarene Island leaf-flower
heather leaf-flower
main stems terete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous; ultimate branchlets subterete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous.
terete, not winged, glabrous.
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.
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, proximal bisexual with 1–2 pistillate flowers and 2–3 staminate flowers, distal with 1 pistillate flower.
solitary flowers, staminate proximal, pistillate distal.
staminate 0.5–1.5 mm, pistillate flexuous, capillary, and pendent in fruit, (2.5–)3–8 mm.
staminate 0.6–0.8 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 0.9–1.2 mm.
sepals 5, white except green midrib, flat, 0.4–0.7 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 5 glands;
stamens 5, filaments distinct.
sepals 6, pale brownish green, flat, 0.9–1.2 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands;
stamens 3, filaments connate throughout.
sepals 5, white except green midrib, flat, 0.6–0.8 mm, 1-veined;
nectary annular, unlobed.
sepals 6, pale brownish green, flat, 1.1–1.4 mm, obscurely veined;
nectary annular, 6-lobed.
1.7–1.9 mm diam., smooth.
2 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, 0.8–0.9 mm, evenly papillate.
uniformly brown, 0.9–1 mm, verrucose.
= 26.
Phyllanthus tenellus
Phyllanthus ericoides
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 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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