Breynia cernua (Poir.) Müll.Arg.

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Phyllanthaceae > Breynia

Characteristics

Shrub to 3 m high from thickened rootstock, glabrous. Stipules triangular, 1.2–1.8 mm long, acuminate, red-brown with pale margins. Branchlet leaves: petiole 2.5–4 mm long; lamina ovate, elliptic or orbicular, 12–37 mm long, 8–24 mm wide, rounded or obtuse, sometimes emarginate, with margin recurved, strongly discolorous, minutely grey-punctate abaxially. Inflorescences unisexual, females distal. Male flowers 2–5 per fascicle; pedicels 2.5–8 mm long; perianth campanulate; tube 1.3–1.5 mm long, 1.9–2.4 mm diam., truncate, obscurely 6-lobed; scales exserted, obtuse; androphore included or slightly exserted. Female flowers solitary, rarely 2 per fascicle; pedicels 0.8–3 mm long, elongating to 4.5 mm long in fruit; perianth campanulate, 1.8–2 mm diam.; tube c. 1 mm long, lobes c. 0.4 mm long, obtuse; ovary ovoid or narrowly ellipsoid, c. 1 mm diam., sometimes apically elongate, exserted. Fruit subglobose or turbinate, 6–8 mm diam., on stipe to 4 mm long, obtuse or beaked, red, turning black; fruiting perianth cup-shaped or discoid, 3–3.8 mm diam., green, rarely red. Seeds 3.6–4.5 mm long, buff–yellow-brown.
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Shrub to 4 m high, glabrous. Stipules narrowly triangular, 1–1.6 mm long, green. Branchlet leaves: petiole 2.5–6 mm long; lamina ovate, 19–90 mm long, 12–44 mm wide, obtuse, acute or acuminate, slightly discolorous. Inflorescences unisexual, females distal. Male flowers 1–3 per fascicle; pedicels 2.5–5.8 mm long; perianth ± campanulate; tube 2.3–3.5 mm long, truncate or obscurely lobed; scales exserted, acute; androphore slightly exserted. Female flowers 1 (rarely 2) per inflorescence; pedicels 1–2.3 mm long, elongating up to 7 mm in fruit; perianth obconical or narrowly campanulate, 1.2–1.6 mm diam.; tube 1.4–1.8 mm long; lobes triangular, c. 0.5 mm long, acute; ovary narrowly ellipsoid, c. 1 mm diam., sometimes apically elongate, exserted. Fruit subglobose, 4.5–7 mm diam., sometimes beaked, red; fruiting pedicels 2.6–5 mm long; fruiting perianth discoid, 3–3.8 mm diam., green. Seeds 4–4.7 mm long, pale brown–grey.
Shrub or tree to 6 m high, glabrous. Stipules triangular, 0.8–1.5 mm long, green. Branchlet leaves: petiole 3.8–6.3 mm long; lamina ovate, rarely elliptic, 15–100 mm long, 10–47 mm wide, obtuse, sometimes emarginate, discolorous. Male flowers 2–5 per fascicle; perianth obconical; tube c. 2 mm long, truncate; scales exserted, obtuse; androphore exserted. Female flowers 1 or 2 (–3) per cluster; perianth ±obconical, 1–1.3 mm diam.; tube 1.5–2 mm long, truncate or lobes to 1.2 mm long, obtuse or acute; ovary narrowly ovoid or ellipsoid, c. 0.6 mm diam., exserted. Fruit ellipsoid or subglobose, 5.5–9 mm diam., sometimes centrally depressed or beaked, glabrous, white, yellow or pink; fruiting pedicels to 5.5 mm long; fruiting perianth discoid, 5.2–7 mm diam., green. Seeds 3.6–4.6 mm long, grey-brown.
A shrub. It grows 1-2 m tall. The leaves are arranged along a twig to make them look like a compound leaf. The leaves are 25-40 cm long by 15-23 mm wide. The male flowers form a column in the centre of the flower. The fruit are 5-8 mm across.
Life form perennial
Growth form
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Grows in wetter Eucalyptus forests, riverine forest and rainforest margins on a variety of substrates including alluvium, granite and basalt, to 1100 m altitude.
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Usually encountered in very disturbed, anthropogenic habitats, and also in coastal vegetation, often on limestone, at elevations up to 450 metres.
Grows in Eucalyptus and Acacia woodland, often in sandy sites on sandstone or granite.
It is a tropical plant. In northern Australia it grows up to 800 m above sea level.
Grows in eucalypt woodland or riverine forest in sandy soil.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

The ripe fruit are eaten.
Uses animal food environmental use fuel invertebrate food material medicinal
Edible fruits
Therapeutic use Edema (leaf), Leg (unspecified), Salve (unspecified), Swelling (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Breynia cernua unspecified picture

Distribution

Breynia cernua world distribution map, present in Australia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Solomon Islands

Conservation status

Breynia cernua threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:340066-1
WFO ID wfo-0000411808
COL ID 68R36
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Melanthesa cernua Phyllanthus cernuus Phyllanthus ruber Melanthesa rubra Phyllanthus blumei Breynia cernua Breynia rubra Breynia rumpens Melanthesa cernua var. acutifolia Breynia cernua var. acutifolia