Phyllanthus rotundifolius J.G.Klein ex Willd.

Monoecious usually small and often stout or wiry-stemmed smooth or asperulous annual or perennial herb 10–45 cm. tall.. Orthotropic stems angular, smooth or asperulous. Plagiotropic shoots up to 8 cm. long, angular, usually asperulous, the older ones co-axillary with one or more secondary orthotropic shoots.. Cataphylls linear-lanceolate, 1.5 mm. long, pale reddish brown, often replaced at least in young plants by foliage leaves. Cataphyllary stipules narrowly lanceolate, 1.5 mm. long, pale reddish brown with white hyaline margins.. Leaves of the plagiotropic shoots subdistichous; petioles pale yellow-green, 1 mm. long; blades suborbicular-obovate to obovate-spathulate, 4–12 mm. long, 3–7 mm. wide, obtuse or rounded at the apex, rounded-cuneate to cuneate at the base, membranous to chartaceous, lateral nerves 4–6 pairs, not prominent above, prominent beneath, smooth and glabrous or asperulous beneath and sometimes also above along the midrib and main nerves, grey-green or glaucous, sometimes dull pinkish or purplish tinged beneath.. Stipules linear-lanceolate, 1 mm. long, pale reddish brown with white hyaline margins.. Male flowers 2–3 per axil, usually together with 1 ♀ flower.. Male flowers: pedicels 0.5 mm. long; sepals 6, elliptic, 0.7 mm. long, with a pale yellowish-green midrib, otherwise hyaline; disc-glands 6, free, rounded, minutely papillose; stamens 3, small, filaments connate in the lower half, anthers horizontally held, 0.3 mm. across, laterally dehiscent.. Female flowers: pedicels 1 mm. long; sepals 6, the 3 outer ovate, the 3 inner obovate, 1 mm. long, 0.8 mm. wide, obtuse, white with a broad median green band, sometimes flecked or tinged pinkish or brownish; disc annular or roundly hexagonal, flat, entire; ovary sessile, hexalobate-subglobose, 0.5 mm. diameter, smooth; styles ± free, 0.2 mm. long, at first suberect, later divaricate to spreading, bifid, stigmas very slightly swollen at the apex.. Fruit depressed-subglobose, 1 mm. long, 2 mm. diameter, smooth, yellowish green, sometimes pinkish or brownish tinged.. Seeds 1 mm. long, sharply triquetrous, with 6–7(–9) longitudinal ridges on the dorsal facet, and 5–6 concentric ridges on each ventral facet, and with numerous transverse striae between the ridges, uniformly dark brown.

Local and occasional in grassland; coastal and deciduous bushland; often in places where perennial grasses are inhibited by rocks, sand or volcanic soils; becoming a weed in cultivated areas. Found at elevations up to 1,370 metres in Somalia.

Can be grown by seedlings.