Phyllanthus polygonoides

Phyllanthus polygonoides, known as smartweed leaf-flower[1] or knotweed leafflower, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Phyllanthaceae. It grows from 10 to 50 centimeters in height. It is native to the United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana) and northern and central Mexico.[2]

Smartweed leaf-flower
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Genus: Phyllanthus
Species:
P. polygonoides
Binomial name
Phyllanthus polygonoides
Nuttall ex Sprengel

Smartweed leaf-flower grows in a variety of habitats throughout its range, including grasslands, shrublands (including the Chihuahuan Desert), and glades in forests. It is often associated with limestone and calcareous soils.[2]

It is morphologically similar to the closely related species, pinewoods dainties (Phyllanthus liebmannianus). In the United States these species are allopatrically distributed, but there is a zone of overlap in the ranges of the two species in central Mexico.[2]

References
  1. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Phyllanthus polygonoides". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
  2. "Phyllanthus abnormis in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
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