Family: Phyllanthaceae
Phyllanthus
Citation:
L., Sp. Pl. 981 (1753).
Derivation: Greek phyllon, leaf; anthos, flower; in some foreign species the flowers grow on the edges of dilated leaf-like branchlets.
Synonymy: Not Applicable Common name: Phyllanthus.
Description:
Herbs, shrubs or trees of varied habit; leaves alternate, often distichous, shortly petiolate, entire; stipules small, leathery and brownish or with scarious white margins, usually persistent; monoecious or dioecious.
Flowers axillary, apetalous; males usually few together; perianth-segments 6 rarely 5 or 4, imbricate, more or less distinctly in 2 rows, all similar and often petal-like, divided to the base; stamens 3 (in S.Aust.), filaments free or connate wholly or partly, anthers free (in S.Aust.), dehiscing longitudinally; glands 6 (in S.Aust.), distinct, at the base of the stamens; rudimentary ovary absent; female flowers solitary or with 1-3 males (in S.Aust.), with 6 perianth-segments (similar to the male ones but larger in S.Aust. species) usually shorter than the capsule;.ovary 3- or more-celled (3 in S.Aust.); ovules 2 per cell; styles 3, free or shortly connate, usually 2-fid; disc glands hypogynous, mostly small, free or connate into an annulus (in S.Aust.).
Fruit capsular (in S.Aust.), rarely baccate or drupaceous, of mostly 3 2-valved fruitlets, dehiscent; seeds 6, trigonous, the inner edges straight, the back semicircular, testa smooth or sculptured, without any caruncle; cotyledons broad.
Distribution:
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About 600 species from tropical and subtropical parts of the world except Europe and North Asia; c. 60 species native and naturalised in Australia; in S.Aust. 7 species with 1 possibly endemic. The genus in Australia is in need of revision.
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Biology:
No text
Key to Species:
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2. Leaves elliptic-obovate, 3-12 mm long, evenly pubescent with short hairs; monoecious; seed smooth on the back |
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P. fuernrohrii 3. |
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2. Leaves obovate-cuneate, almost truncate, 3-6 mm long, with stiff long hairs unevenly distributed; dioecious; seed covered all over with papillae in longitudinal rows |
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P. hirtellus 4. |
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3. Fruiting calyx enlarged, longer than the capsule; shrubs; monoecious |
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P. calycinus 2. |
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3. Fruiting calyx shorter than the capsule |
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4. Shrubs; leaves suborbicular, 8-12 mm long, distichous; dioecious |
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P. saxosus 7. |
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4. Undershrubs or herbs; leaves oblong |
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5. Perianth-segments lanceolate; seed with solid lengthwise ridges; monoecious |
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P. lacunarius 5. |
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5. Perianth-segments obovate; seed with minutely granular lengthwise ridges made up of fine papillae |
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6. Dioecious; leaves to 12 mm long; capsule on 3-6 mm long peduncles; filaments free |
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P. australis 1. |
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6. Monoecious; leaves 10-40 mm long; capsule on up to 2 mm long peduncles; filaments united in a column |
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P. maderaspatensis 6. |
Author:
Not yet available
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