Phyllanthus tenellus
Phyllanthus fraternus
Mascarene Island leaf-flower
gulf leaf-flower
main stems terete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous; ultimate branchlets subterete, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous.
main stems angled, not winged, glabrous; ultimate branchlets subterete, narrowly winged, ± scabridulous.
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 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, proximal bisexual with 1–2 pistillate flowers and 2–3 staminate flowers, distal with 1 pistillate flower.
cymules or flowers solitary, unisexual, proximal with 2–3 staminate flowers, distal with 1 pistillate flower.
staminate 0.5–1.5 mm, pistillate flexuous, capillary, and pendent in fruit, (2.5–)3–8 mm.
staminate 0.2–0.5 mm, pistillate spreading in fruit, 1.3–2 mm.
sepals 5, white except green midrib, flat, 0.4–0.7 mm;
nectary extrastaminal, 5 glands;
stamens 5, filaments distinct.
sepals 6, white to pale yellow, flat, 0.4–0.7 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, green with broad white margins, flat, (1–)1.2–1.5 mm, 1-veined;
nectary annular, 6–9-lobed.
1.7–1.9 mm diam., smooth.
2.1 mm diam., smooth.
uniformly brown, 0.8–0.9 mm, evenly papillate.
uniformly brown, 0.9–1.1 mm, longitudinally ribbed.
= 26.
Phyllanthus tenellus
Phyllanthus fraternus
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 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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