Phyllanthaceae
Phyllanthus

Phyllanthus fraternus G.L.Webster

First published in Contr. Gray Herb. 176: 53 (1955)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Pakistan to W. India. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Euphorbiaceae, A. R.-Smith. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1987

Morphology General Habit
Monoecious slender asperulous to subglabrous erect annual 10–45 cm. tall.
Morphology General Shoots
Orthotropic shoots angular, glabrous, stramineous. Plagiotropic shoots 5–7 cm. long, angular, asperulous, the older ones co-axillary with secondary orthotropic shoots. Brachyblasts not strongly developed.
Morphology Leaves Cataphylls
Cataphylls linear-lanceolate, 1 mm. long. Cataphyllary stipules narrowly lanceolate, 1.3 mm. long, hyaline.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves of the plagiotropic shoots distichous; petioles 0.5 mm. long; blades commonly elliptic-oblong, less often elliptic-obovate, 5–13 mm. long, 1.5–5(–7) mm. wide, obtuse or rounded at the apex, cuneate, rounded-cuneate or rounded at the base, membranaceous, lateral nerves 4–7 pairs, scarcely visible above, slightly prominent beneath, glabrous above and beneath, dark green above, paler and somewhat greyish green beneath.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules narrowly lanceolate, 1 mm. long, whitish, with a pinkish-olivaceous midrib.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Male flowers geminate or fasciculate in the axils of the lower quarter of the flowering shoots, ♀ solitary in those of the upper three-quarters.
sex Male
Male flowers:pedicels capillary, 0.5 mm. long; sepals 6, rhombic-suborbicular, 0.5 mm. long, 0.4 mm. wide, subacute, hyaline with a narrow yellowish midrib; disc-glands 6, free, shortly stipitate, stellulately lobulate, ± flattened, shallowly tuberculate; stamens 3, filaments connate into a column 0.2 mm. high, anthers subsessile, 1-thecous, deltoid, divaricately held, minute, apically dehiscent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers:pedicels 1–1.5 mm. long, scarcely extending in fruit; sepals 6, oblong-oblanceolate, somewhat unequal, 1–1.3 mm. long, ± 0.5 mm. wide, not accrescent, obtuse or rounded, membranous, white with a greenish-olivaceous median stripe; disc irregularly deeply lobed into 6–10 segments, some of which may be broad and crenate, others triangular and bifid, and others ± linear, thin, flat; ovary sessile, subglobose, 1 mm. diameter, smooth; styles free, suberect, 0.1–0.2 mm. long, bilobed, the stigmas minute, somewhat recurved. Male flowers:pedicels capillary, 0.5 mm. long; sepals 6, rhombic-suborbicular, 0.5 mm. long, 0.4 mm. wide, subacute, hyaline with a narrow yellowish midrib; disc-glands 6, free, shortly stipitate, stellulately lobulate, ± flattened, shallowly tuberculate; stamens 3, filaments connate into a column 0.2 mm. high, anthers subsessile, 1-thecous, deltoid, divaricately held, minute, apically dehiscent.
sex Female
Female flowers:pedicels 1–1.5 mm. long, scarcely extending in fruit; sepals 6, oblong-oblanceolate, somewhat unequal, 1–1.3 mm. long, ± 0.5 mm. wide, not accrescent, obtuse or rounded, membranous, white with a greenish-olivaceous median stripe; disc irregularly deeply lobed into 6–10 segments, some of which may be broad and crenate, others triangular and bifid, and others ± linear, thin, flat; ovary sessile, subglobose, 1 mm. diameter, smooth; styles free, suberect, 0.1–0.2 mm. long, bilobed, the stigmas minute, somewhat recurved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit trilobate-subglobose, 1.1 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. diameter, smooth, brownish olivaceous, sometimes purplish tinged.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds triquetrous, 1 mm. long, 0.7–0.8 mm. wide, ochreous-olivaceous, with 7–8 sometimes slightly darker longitudinal ridges on the dorsal facet, and ± 8 concentric ridges on each ventral facet, the ridges minutely transversely tuberculate, with innumerable transverse striae between them.
Habitat
On edges of flood-plains, on mud-flats and shady damp ground in bushland; 580 to ± 1000 m.
Distribution
native of Pakistan and NW. Indiaintroduced into Yemen, Dhofar, Cape Verde Is., Senegal, Gambia, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Angola, Namibia and the West Indies K1 T1 T4/T7 T8
[FTEA]

Euphorbiaceae, A. Radcliffe-Smith. Flora Zambesiaca 9:4. 1996

Morphology General Habit
An asperulous to subglabrous erect annual herb commonly up to 45 cm tall, rarely taller, monoecious.
Morphology General Shoots
Lead shoots angular, straw coloured; lateral shoots up to 10 cm long, commonly much less.
Morphology Leaves Scale leaves
Scale leaves 1 mm long, linear-subulate; stipules 0.8–1 mm long, triangular-lanceolate.
Morphology Leaves
Foliage leaves distichous; petioles 0.5 mm long; stipules 1 mm long, linear-lanceolate, whitish with a brownish midrib.
Morphology Leaves Leaf lamina
Leaf blades 0.5–1.3 × 0.15–0.5 cm, elliptic-oblong, obtuse or rounded at the apex, cuneate to rounded at the base, membranaceous, glabrous, dark green above, paler and somewhat greyish-green beneath; lateral nerves in 4–7 pairs, scarcely visible above, slightly prominent beneath.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Male flowers in few-flowered cymules in the axils of the lowest quarter of the lateral shoots, females solitary in the rest, with occasionally the transitional axil bisexual. Female flowers: pedicels 0.5 mm long, extending to 1 mm in fruit; sepals 6, 1 × 0.5 mm, not or scarcely accrescent, the outer oblong-lanceolate, the inner oblong to oblanceolate, obtuse to rounded, white with an olive-green midrib; disk 0.6 mm across, very irregularly laciniate or divided; ovary 0.5 mm in diameter, subsessile, 3-lobed to subglobose, smooth, greenish; styles 3, 0.25 mm long, divergent, shortly bifid, stigmas recurved. Male flowers: pedicels 0.5 mm long, capillary; sepals 6, 0.7 × 0.5 mm, obovate-suborbicular, the 3 outer apiculate, the inner obtuse, translucent with an opaque greenish-yellow midrib; disk glands 6, free, 0.1 mm across, flattened, lobulate and tuberculate; stamens 3, filaments connate into a column 0.25 mm high, anthers 0.2 mm across, reniform, obliquely held, apically dehiscent.
sex Male
Male flowers: pedicels 0.5 mm long, capillary; sepals 6, 0.7 × 0.5 mm, obovate-suborbicular, the 3 outer apiculate, the inner obtuse, translucent with an opaque greenish-yellow midrib; disk glands 6, free, 0.1 mm across, flattened, lobulate and tuberculate; stamens 3, filaments connate into a column 0.25 mm high, anthers 0.2 mm across, reniform, obliquely held, apically dehiscent.
sex Female
Female flowers: pedicels 0.5 mm long, extending to 1 mm in fruit; sepals 6, 1 × 0.5 mm, not or scarcely accrescent, the outer oblong-lanceolate, the inner oblong to oblanceolate, obtuse to rounded, white with an olive-green midrib; disk 0.6 mm across, very irregularly laciniate or divided; ovary 0.5 mm in diameter, subsessile, 3-lobed to subglobose, smooth, greenish; styles 3, 0.25 mm long, divergent, shortly bifid, stigmas recurved.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 1.1–1.2 × 1.6 mm, rounded-3-lobed, smooth, ochreous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 1 × 0.8 × 0.7 mm, segmentiform, yellowish-brown, with 6–7 longitudinal ridges of close packed darker brown, transversely lineate tubercles on the dorsal facet, and 5–7 concentric ridges on each ventral facet, with innumerable parallel transverse striae between them.
[FZ]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2026. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0