Phyllanthus nummulariifolius Poir.

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

Morphology General Habit

An erect or semiscandent annual or perennial herb, or weak-stemmed sparingly-branched subshrub up to 3 m tall, but commonly much less, monoecious or dioecious; stem often reddish at the base with brownish-green or purplish-brown branches.

Morphology General Shoots

Lead shoots and lateral shoots glabrous, scaberulous, papillose or evenly to densely whitish-puberulous, the hairs multicellular. Lateral leafy shoots (5)10–15(25) cm long, later co-axillary with short shoots and secondary lead shoots.

Morphology Leaves Scale leaves

Scale leaves c. 2 mm long, linear-subulate; stipules c. 2.5 mm long, narrowly lanceolate.

Morphology Leaves

Foliage leaves distichous; petioles 0.5–1 mm long; stipules 1–1.5 mm long, linear-lanceolate, reddish-brown with hyaline margins; blades 0.2–2.3 × 0.1–1.4 cm, suborbicular, obovate or elliptic, subacute to rounded or truncate, rounded to cuneate at the base, membranous to chartaceous, usually glabrous above and beneath, rarely somewhat papillose-puberulous along the midrib and main nerves, light yellow-green to bright blue-green or dark grey-green above, paler and somewhat glaucous beneath, margins slightly recurved and sometimes purplish-tinged; lateral nerves in 4–12 pairs, not prominent above, scarcely so beneath.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male flowers in few-flowered fascicles, usually with 1 female flower per fascicle in the more distal axils of the lateral shoots. Male flowers: pedicels 5–6 mm long, capillary; sepals 5, 1 × 1 mm, suborbicular-obovate, cream-coloured or whitish with a green midrib, sometimes pink-tinged; disk glands 5, minute, free, flat, petaloid; stamens 5, free, filaments 0.75 mm long, erect, anthers minute, horizontal, transversely dehiscent, yellow. Female flowers: pedicels (5)7–20 mm long, capillary, red; sepals 5(6), 1 × 0.75 mm, elliptic-ovate, yellowish-green, often reddish- or brownish-tinged; disk 0.75 mm in diameter, annular, flat, entire; ovary 1 mm in diameter, sessile, depressed-subglobose, smooth; styles 3, 0.5 mm long, free, spreading, bifid, stigmas curved.

sex Male

Male flowers: pedicels 5–6 mm long, capillary; sepals 5, 1 × 1 mm, suborbicular-obovate, cream-coloured or whitish with a green midrib, sometimes pink-tinged; disk glands 5, minute, free, flat, petaloid; stamens 5, free, filaments 0.75 mm long, erect, anthers minute, horizontal, transversely dehiscent, yellow.

sex Female

Female flowers: pedicels (5)7–20 mm long, capillary, red; sepals 5(6), 1 × 0.75 mm, elliptic-ovate, yellowish-green, often reddish- or brownish-tinged; disk 0.75 mm in diameter, annular, flat, entire; ovary 1 mm in diameter, sessile, depressed-subglobose, smooth; styles 3, 0.5 mm long, free, spreading, bifid, stigmas curved.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit 1 × 2 mm, depressed 3-lobed to subglobose, smooth, pale green, sometimes reddish-tinged.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 0.8 × 0.6–0.7 mm, segmentiform, light brown, with 10–12 rows of minute tubercles on the dorsal facet, and 9–10 concentric rows of tubercles on each ventral facet.

Ralimanana, H. & Hoffmann, P. Kew Bull (2011) 66: 331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-011-9294-8

Morphology General Habit

Monoecious herbs, subshrubs or shrubs 15 – 200 cm high

Growth

Branching pinnatiform or bipinnatiform; orthotropic branches terete, 0.5 – 1.7 mm in diam., striate, glabrous

Morphology Leaves Cataphylls

Cataphylls triangular, 1 – 2.5 × 0.8 – 1 mm, coriaceous, entire, glabrous

Morphology Branches

Plagiotropic branches solitary, terete, 3 – 22 cm long, 0.3 – 0.6 mm in diam., striate, smooth or slightly rugose, glabrous

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules persistent, triangular or ovate, 1 – 2.3 × 0.3 – 1 mm, chartaceous or membranous, entire, glabrous Cataphyllary stipules triangular or lanceolate, 1 – 2.2 × 0.5 – 1 mm, coriaceous, entire, glabrous

Morphology Stem

Internodes 0.5 – 3 mm long

Morphology Leaves Petiole

Petioles terete, 0.6 – 1 × 0.3 – 0.4 mm, glabrous

Morphology Leaves

Leaf blades obovate, widely obovate, suborbicular or elliptic, 4.5 – 15 × 4 – 14 mm, 1 – 1.1 × longer than wide, obtuse, attenuate or rounded at the base, obtuse, rounded or mucronulate at the apex, membranous or chartaceous, entire, glabrous on both sides; midvein slightly prominent or flattened on both sides; secondary veins 4 – 5 pairs, slightly prominent on both sides or flattened abaxially Leaves 5 – 19 per branch

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Inflorescences unisexual, consisting of 1 – 2 male flowers on proximal parts of plagiotropic branches or 1 female flower on distal parts of plagiotropic branches

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Bracts linear to triangular, 0.8 – 1.2 × 0.1 – 0.2 mm, entire, glabrous, grouped in a tuft of 3 – 6 mainly sterile bracts in male inflorescences in var. nummulariifolius

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male flowers 1.5 – 2 × 2.5 – 2.7 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 5 (− 7), entirely free; filaments terete, 0.5 – 0.7 × c. 0.2 mm; anthers globose, 0.2 – 0.3 mm in diam. Female flowers 2 – 2.5 × 3 – 3.5 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel

Pedicels 10 – 30 × 0.2 – 0.3 mm, glabrous Pedicels 8 – 18 × 0.1 – 0.2 mm, glabrous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Tepal

Tepals 5, subequal, elliptic, ovate or obovate, 2 – 2.5 × 1 – 1.3 mm, obtuse, membranous to subcoriaceous, glabrous on both sides, margin entire, hyaline for 1/4 of total tepal width on each side, veins unbranched Tepals 5, subequal, elliptic, obovate or suborbicular, 1.2 – 2 × 0.9 – 1.8 mm, rounded or obtuse, membranous, glabrous on both sides, margin entire, hyaline for 1/3 of total tepal width on each side, veins unbranched

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Disc

Disc irregularly lobed, 0.1 – 0.2 mm thick, smooth Disc glands 5, thin, obovate or triangular, c. 0.4 mm high, c. 0.5 mm wide, smooth

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary 3-locular, globose, 0.5 – 1 mm in diam., smooth, glabrous; styles fused at the base, bifid for c. 1/2 of their length, terete, 0.4 – 0.6 mm long; stigmas acute or obtuse

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits globose, 1 – 3.5 mm in diam., pubescent; fruiting pedicels 10 – 35 mm long, glabrous; tepals 2.2 – 2.8 × 1 – 1.5 mm; styles persistent or caducous; columella 0.4 – 1.5 × 0.2 – 0.4 mm

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 0.8 – 1.8 × 0.8 – 1.2 mm, verrucose.

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

Morphology General Habit

Monoecious or dioecious graceful semi-prostrate, decumbent, subscandent or ± erect woody herb or shrub up to 4.5 m. but commonly much less.

Morphology General Shoots

Plagiotropic shoots (5–)10–20(–40) cm. long, angular-subterete, simple or branched. Young shoots of both types glabrous, subglabrous, asperulous, sparsely, evenly or densely grey-green pubescent, the hairs crisped, multicellular. Brachyblasts present, co-axillary with the plagiotropic shoots, later themselves occasionally giving rise to secondary plagiotropic shoots.

Morphology Leaves Cataphylls

Cataphylls linear-subulate, 1–3 mm. long. Cataphyllary stipules narrowly lanceolate, 1–3 mm. long.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves of the plagiotropic shoots often pendulous, distichous; petioles 0.5–1 mm. long; blades suborbicular-obovate, obovate or elliptic-obovate, (2–)5–13(–20) mm. long, (2–)4–8(–11) mm. wide, rounded, obtuse or subacute, sometimes mucronulate, rounded or rounded-cuneate, firmly membranaceous to thinly chartaceous, lateral nerves 5–9 pairs, not prominent above, slightly so beneath, usually glabrous, occasionally slightly puberulous along the midrib above and beneath, rarely along the lateral nerves and between the nerves also, apple-green above, paler and sometimes glaucous beneath, occasionally reddish tinged.

Morphology Leaves Stipules

Stipules lanceolate, 1 mm. long, subentire, whitish with a brownish median band.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Male flowers solitary, subsolitary (1 maturing at a time) or in small axillary clusters in the proximal and median axils, occasionally in the distal also; ♀ flowers solitary or subsolitary in the distal or occasionally in all axils.

sex Male

Male flowers:pedicels capillary, ± 5 mm. long; sepals 5, suborbicular-obovate, 1 mm. long, rounded, cream or whitish with a median green band, sometimes pinkish or reddish tinged; disc-glands 5, free, truncate, shortly proximally stipitate, flat, cream; stamens 5, free, filaments 0.75 mm. long, anthers transversely elliptic, horizontally held, 0.2 mm. across, transversely dehiscent, yellow or cream.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Female flowers:pedicels capillary, 1–1.5(–2.5) cm. long; sepals 5, elliptic-obovate, 1–1.3 mm. long, rounded, pale yellow or cream with a median green band, or orange, pink or reddish with a dull crimson band; disc annular, ± flat, cream; ovary sessile, subglobose, 1 mm. diameter, smooth, pale green, olive green, pink or red; styles 3, 0.5 mm. long, free, slender, spreading or reflexed, bipartite almost to the base, stigmas linear, white, cream or pink. Male flowers:pedicels capillary, ± 5 mm. long; sepals 5, suborbicular-obovate, 1 mm. long, rounded, cream or whitish with a median green band, sometimes pinkish or reddish tinged; disc-glands 5, free, truncate, shortly proximally stipitate, flat, cream; stamens 5, free, filaments 0.75 mm. long, anthers transversely elliptic, horizontally held, 0.2 mm. across, transversely dehiscent, yellow or cream.

sex Female

Female flowers:pedicels capillary, 1–1.5(–2.5) cm. long; sepals 5, elliptic-obovate, 1–1.3 mm. long, rounded, pale yellow or cream with a median green band, or orange, pink or reddish with a dull crimson band; disc annular, ± flat, cream; ovary sessile, subglobose, 1 mm. diameter, smooth, pale green, olive green, pink or red; styles 3, 0.5 mm. long, free, slender, spreading or reflexed, bipartite almost to the base, stigmas linear, white, cream or pink.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit depressed trilobate-subglobose, 1 mm. long, 2mm. diameter, smooth, green, sometimes reddish tinged.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds triquetrous, 0.8 mm. long, 0.5 mm. across, brown, with 10–11 rows of minute black tubercles on the dorsal facet, and 9–10 concentric rows of tubercles on each ventral facet.

Habitat

Woodland, wooded grassland and forest edges, extending to upland grassland and bushland, often in seasonally wet and disturbed places; 0–2450 m.

Distribution

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K7 P T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 from Sierra Leone to Sudan and south to South Africa (Natal)