Phyllanthus caroliniensis Walter

Carolina leaf-flower (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Phyllanthaceae > Phyllanthus

Characteristics

Herbs, annual or perennial, without caudex or rhizomes, monoecious, 1–4.5 dm; branching not phyllanthoid. Stems terete, not winged [narrowly winged], glabrous or scabridulous. Leaves distichous; all well developed; stipules auriculate, pale brown or reddish brown; blade elliptic or oblong to obovate, 5–20(–30) × 2–10(–15) mm, base acute, apex obtuse to rounded and apiculate, both surfaces glabrous or scabridulous. Inflorescences cymules, bisexual, with 1–3(–5) pistillate flowers and 1–2 staminate flowers. Pedicels: staminate 0.5–1 mm, pistillate sharply reflexed in fruit, 0.5–1(–1.5) mm. Staminate flowers: sepals (5–)6, pale yellowish green, flat, 0.5–0.7 mm; nectary extrastaminal, 6 glands; stamens 3, filaments distinct. Pistillate flowers: sepals (5–)6(–7), green, often suffused with red, with scarious margins, flat, 0.6–1.4 mm, 1-veined; nectary cupular or annular, lobed or unlobed. Capsules 1.6–2 mm diam., smooth. Seeds uniformly brown, 0.7–1.1 mm, verrucose. 2n = 36 (subsp. guianensis, West Indies).
More
Herb, annual or short-lived perennial, ca 1-3 dm high; monoecious, branches terete or narrowly winged; stems unbranched to pinnately branched. Leaves mem-branous to firm; petioles short, 0.5-1 mm long; stipules auriculate, 0.7-2 mm long; blades elliptic to obovate, obtuse to rounded or apiculate, 5-20 mm long and 2-10 mm broad, paler beneath, the reticulum of veinlets often distinct. Cymules with usually 1 or 2 staminate and 1 or 2 pistillate flowers. Staminate flowers with (5-) 6 calyx-lobes, 0.5-0.7 mm long; disc-segments 6; stamens 3, the filaments free, short, the anthers opening horizontally; pollen grains oblong, 4-colporate. Pistil-late flowers with pedicels sharply reflexed, 1 mm long or less; calyx-lobes usually 6, 0.6-1.4 mm long, linear to oblong; disc entire or dissected; ovary usually smooth, the styles bifid, less than 0.5 mm long. Capsules 1.6-2 mm in diam; seeds 0.7-1 mm long, dull grayish-brown, verruculose.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support -
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.1 - 0.38
Root system rhizome
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

Uses medicinal
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
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Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Phyllanthus caroliniensis leaf picture by fourgoldfinches (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Phyllanthus caroliniensis world distribution map, present in Åland Islands, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Georgia, Guyana, Honduras, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Paraguay, Suriname, Thailand, Uruguay, United States of America, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:353652-1
WFO ID wfo-0000270671
COL ID 77F97
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID 630396
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Phyllanthus caroliniensis Andrachne pumila Synexemia caroliniensis Diasperus caroliniensis Synexemia pumila Phyllanthus caroliniensis var. caroliniensis

Lower taxons

Phyllanthus caroliniensis subsp. caroliniensis Phyllanthus caroliniensis subsp. guianensis Phyllanthus caroliniensis subsp. saxicola Phyllanthus caroliniensis subsp. stenopterus