4299.000 Phyllanthus L.

Description of the genus

Monoecious or dioecious herbs, shrubs or trees. Leaves often of two types: scale-like cataphylls and foliage leaves. Foliage leaves alternate, often distichous, stipulate, simple, usually entire. Flowers small, axillary, the males usually in pairs or in fascicles in the axils of the lower half of the flowering shoots (which often resemble pinnate leaves), the females usually solitary in the upper axils. Male flowers: pedicels often capillary, sepals (4-)5-6, ± equal, imbricate; petals 0; disk glands (4-)5-6; stamens 2-6; pistillode 0. Female flowers: pedicels more robust than in the male flowers; sepals as for males but often larger; petals 0; disk flat or cup-shaped, annular and entire or variously toothed, rarely composed of separate glands; ovary usually 3(-many)-locular; ovules 2 per loculus; styles 3, rarely more. Fruit 3(-many)-locular, dry and dehiscent or fleshy and ± indehiscent. Seeds 2 per loculus, without a fleshy, outer coating.

Worldwide: c.600 species in tropical and warm regions

Zambia: 49 taxa.

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Links to taxa:     View: living plant images - herbarium specimen images - all images for this genus

SpeciesFZ divisionsProvincesContent
angolensis Müll.Arg. W,SCb,S
arvensis Müll. Arg.B,N,WNw,NDescription, Image
beillei Hutch.N,WCb,NDescription, Image
caespitosus Brenan [LR-lc]N,WCb,N
ceratostemon Brenan NN
crassinervius Radcl.-Sm. WNw
engleri PaxB,C,SNw,Lk,SDescription, Image
fraternus G.L. WebsterC,E,SN,S
friesii Hutch. [DD]N,W,CNw,Lp,N,C
gillettianus Jean F. Brunel ex Radcl.-Sm.SS
glaucophyllus Sond.N,W,C,SNw,N,C,S
gossweileri Hutch. WNw
holostylus Milne-Redh. WNw
inflatus Hutch.BNw
kaessneri Hutch. var. kaessneri NN
kaessneri Hutch. var. polycytotrichus N,WCb,Lp
leucanthus PaxN,W,C,SCb,Mc,Lk,SDescription, Image
loandensis Welw. ex Müll. Arg.B,N,W,CNw,Lp,Lk,W
maderaspatensis L.B,C,SLk,S,WDescription, Image
martinii Radcl.-Sm. [DD]BW
mendesii Jean F. Brunel ex Radcl.-Sm.BW
microdendron Müll.Arg. var. asper Radcl.-Sm. [End][LR-lc]B,WCb,WDescription, Image
muellerianus (Kuntze) ExellB,N,W,C,E,SNw,Lp,E,Lk,S
nummulariifolius Poir. var. nummulariifolius B,N,W,C,E,SCb,Lp,E,Lk,S,WImage
nummulariifolius Poir. var. capillaris (Schumach. & Thonn.) Radcl.-Sm.WNw
nummulariifolius Poir.[Agg]B,N,W,C,E,SNw,Cb,Lp,E,Lk,S,WDescription, Image
odontadenius Müll. Arg.WNw
omahakensis Dinter & PaxB,C,SLk,W
ovalifolius Forssk.N,W,CNw,N,LkDescription, Image
parvulus Sond. var. garipensis (E. Mey. ex Drège) Radcl.-Sm.SS
parvus Hutch. CC
paxii Hutch.N,WNw,N
pentandrus Schumach. & Thonn.B,N,C,E,SN,E,S,WDescription, Image
polyanthus Pax[LR-lc]N,W,C,SNw,Lp,C,S
pseudocarunculatus Radcl.-Sm. [DD]NLp,Mc
pseudoniruri Müll. Arg.N,WCb,N
reticulatus Poir. var. reticulatus B,N,C,E,SLp,E,C,Lk,S,WDescription, Image
reticulatus Poir. var. glaber (Baill.) Müll. Arg.NN
reticulatus Poir.[Agg]B,N,C,E,SLp,N,E,C,Lk,S,W
retinervis Hutch. N,W,CNw,N,C
taylorianus Jean F. Brunel ex Radcl.-Sm.N,W,SN,S
tener Radcl.-Sm.[DD]SS
tenuis Radcl.-Sm. [LR-lc]NLp,N
udoricola Radcl.-Sm.N,W,C,SNw,N,C,S
virgulatus Müll.Arg. B,WNw,W
welwitschianus Müll. Arg.B,N,W,C,E,SNw,Lp,E,C,S,WDescription, Image
xiphephorus Radcl.-Sm. [DD]NN
zambicus Radcl.-Sm. [LR-lc]CN,C
zornioides Radcl.-Sm.N,CN,Lk

Other sources of information about Phyllanthus:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Phyllanthus
Flora of Caprivi: Phyllanthus
Flora of Caprivi: cultivated Phyllanthus
Flora of Malawi: Phyllanthus
Flora of Mozambique: Phyllanthus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Phyllanthus
Flora of Zimbabwe: cultivated Phyllanthus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Phyllanthus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Phyllanthus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Phyllanthus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Phyllanthus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Phyllanthus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Phyllanthus
JSTOR Plant Science: Phyllanthus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Phyllanthus
Plants of the World Online: Phyllanthus
Tropicos: Phyllanthus
Wikipedia: Phyllanthus

Copyright: Mike Bingham, Annette Willemen, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Mark Hyde, 2011-24

Bingham, M.G., Willemen, A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. and Hyde, M.A. (2024). Flora of Zambia: Genus page: Phyllanthus.
https://www.zambiaflora.com/speciesdata/genus.php?genus_id=833, retrieved 19 March 2024

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