Phyllanthus engleri Pax

Dioecious spreading sparsely-to much-branched completely glabrous thorny shrub or small tree usually 1–4.5 m. tall, rarely attaining the proportions of a larger tree and then up to 15 m. tall.. Bole commonly to 15 cm. diameter.. Bark smooth, grey, later flaking irregularly.. Branches pale green, ochreous tinged.. Twigs smooth, brown.. Orthotropic shoots usually robust. Plagiotropic shoots up to 30 cm. long, leafy, floriferous or both. Brachyblasts present, co-axillary with the primary leafy plagiotropic shoots, later themselves becoming spiny due to the induration of the cataphylls, and giving rise to secondary leafy or floriferous plagiotropic shoots, but not to secondary orthotropic shoots.. Cataphylls triangular-lanceolate, 4–5 mm. long, thick, soon hardening to become stoutly spinescent, dark reddish brown. Cataphyllary stipules lanceolate, 3–4 mm. long, slightly spinescent, reddish brown.. Leaves of the plagiotropic shoots distichous; petioles 1–3 mm. long; blades elliptic, elliptic-ovate or ovate-suborbicular, (0.7–)1.5–3 cm. long, (0.7–) 1–2 cm. wide, obtuse, rounded or ± truncate, mucronulate, rounded-cuneate to truncate, firmly chartaceous to thinly coriaceous, lateral nerves 5–7 pairs, not prominent above and scarcely so beneath, often scarcely visible, dull deep green above, pale glaucous-green beneath.. Stipules variable, those of the lowest leaves lanceolate, 2 mm. long, fimbriate or laciniate, dark reddish brown; those of the upper leaves linear-lanceolate, 1 mm. long, entire, greenish.. Flowers fasciculate in the lowest axils of the secondary leafy plagiotropic shoots, or in all axils of the non-leafy ones.. Bracts laciniate-plumose, chestnut-brown.. Male flowers: pedicels 1.5–2 mm. long; sepals 5, ovate, 1.5–2 mm. long, 1.3 mm. wide, subacute, mucronate, pale green with hyaline margins; disc-glands 5, small, free, distally attached, rounded, slightly fleshy, ± smooth; stamens 5, all ± connate at the base, filaments very short, anthers 0.5 mm. long, thecae free, longitudinally dehiscent; rarely a small cylindrical pistillode-like structure also present in the centre of the androecium.. Female flowers not known.. Styles ± free, 1 mm. long, recurved, bifid, the stigmas ± filiform.. Fruit trilobate-subglobose, 2–2.5 cm. long, 2.5–3(–4) cm. diameter, smooth, with a papyraceous exocarp, somewhat spongy or suberous mesocarp and crustaceous endocarp, very pale green or yellowish green, often tinged reddish.. Seeds 6, sometimes fewer by abortion, irregularly ovoid-trigonous, ± 1 cm. long, smooth, dull, dark purplish brown blotched with chestnut and yellowish brown.

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the lowlands. It grows in dry deciduous woodland. It grows in Miombo woodland. It is often on termite mounds and grows between 300-1,850 m altitude.

The fruit are eaten. They are acidic but are eaten young or mature. Caution: The roots are very poisonous.

Plants can be grown by seeds.