Home | > | List of families | > | Urticaceae | > | Pilea | > | microphylla |
Synonyms: |
Pilea muscosa Lindl. |
Common names: | Artillery plant (English) Gunpowder plant (English) |
Frequency: | Occasional |
Status: | Introduced |
Description: |
Erect or procumbent, usually mat-forming, annual or short-lived perennial, herb, up to 30 cm. Stems slightly fleshy. Stipules up to 1 mm. Leaves of a pair very unequal in size: petiole 0.5-6 mm; lamina 1-15 × 0.5-4 mm, usually obovate, smooth and glabrous; apex rounded; margin entire. Inflorescence a small pedunculate to subsessile cymose cluster, 1-2 together in the leaf axils. Achene 0.5-0.8 mm, obovoid, brown, smooth. |
Notes: | The specimens in the photographs appear to be a first record for the Eastern Division. The common names derive from the male flowers which explosively discharge pollen into the air. |
Derivation of specific name: | microphylla: small-leaved |
Habitat: | A weed of well-irrigated gardens. |
Altitude range: (metres) | |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | Probably native in tropical Central America, widely naturalised in subtropical and tropical areas of the world. |
Zimbabwe distribution: | C,E |
Growth form(s): | |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Images last updated: | Wednesday 29 February 2012 |
Literature: |
Home | > | List of families | > | Urticaceae | > | Pilea | > | microphylla |