Phyllanthus tenellus

Phyllanthus tenellus is a herbaceous plant in the leafflower family, Phyllanthaceae. It is commonly called Mascarene Island leaf flower[1] as it is native to the Mascarene Islands.[3] It is often a weed in flower beds, gardens, roadsides, and other disturbed areas.[3]

Phyllanthus tenellus
Phyllanthus tenellus leaves, flowers, and fruits
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Genus: Phyllanthus
Species:
P. tenellus
Binomial name
Phyllanthus tenellus
Synonyms[2]
  • Diasperus tenellus (Roxb.) Kuntze
  • Phyllanthus nummulariaefolius Croizat

Description

It grows to be 20–50 cm (7.9–19.7 in) tall.[3] The main stem does not have leaves but rather small scales (see phyllanthoid branching) and the secondary stems contain the flowers and leaves.[3] The flowers are inconspicuous, small, and unisexual. Male and female flowers are located on the same plant.

Taxonomy

It was originally published in William Roxburgh's 1814 Hortus Bengalensis[4] (as a nomen nudum) and later validated in his 1832 Flora Indica.[5][6]

It has two accepted varieties:[2][7]

Distribution

In addition to the Mascarene Islands, P. tenellus is possibly also native to eastern Africa, other western Indian Ocean islands, and the Arabian Peninsula.[3] It has become a naturalized weed in tropical and subtropical areas, including Australia, Mexico, South America, Eastern North America (from Florida to Virginia west to California), as well as Mediterranean region, parts of Asia and the West Indies.[3]

Bibliography
  1. Weakley, Alan (2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill North Carolina: The University of North Carolina Herbarium.
  2. "Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanical Gardens Kew. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  3. Levin, Geoffrey A. (2016). "Phyllanthus tenellus". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 12. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2018-11-02 – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. Roxburgh, William (1814). Hortus Bengalensis, or a Catalogue of the Plants Growing in the Honourable East India Company's Botanical Garden at Calcutta. Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta. p. 69. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  5. Roxburgh, William (1832). Flora Indica; or, Descriptions of Indian Plants. Serampore. p. 668. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  6. "Hortus Bengalensis, or a Catalogue of the Plants Growing in the Honourable East India Company's Botanical Garden at Calcutta. Serampore". ipni.org. International Plant Names Index. Retrieved 2018-11-02.
  7. "Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
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