Phyllanthus arvensis Müll. Arg.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Sheba Vlei at entrance of Forestry Estate, Stapleford.

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Synonyms:
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Erect or procumbent, mat-forming perennial herb, mostly less than 80 cm high, rarely up to 2 m, hairless; stems red, fleshy, arising from a horizontal woody root system. Lateral shoots 2–6 cm long. Leaves ovate-suborbicular to elliptic-obovate, 3–10 mm long, pale green; midrib sometimes meandering, lateral nerves in 4–8 pairs, meandering and irregularly branching and anastomosing, prominent and somewhat thickened beneath; margins sometimes slightly revolute and reddish-tinged; stipules 2-3 mm long, linear-lanceolate, pale brown to dark reddish brown. Flowers with sexes usually on different plants, rarely on the same plant. Male flowers in 2–4-flowered bracteate axillary clusters; bracts resembling the stipules; pedicels 1.2–1.5 mm long, broadening at the apex; sepals 5, ovate-suborbicular, 1.5–2 mm long, concave, rounded, creamy-white; disk glands 5, 0.3 mm across, flat; stamens 3, filaments combined into a column c. 1 mm high. Female flowers on pedicels 2 mm long, increasing to 3 mm in fruit; sepals 5-6, elliptic or elliptic-ovate, 1.5 mm long, up to 2.5 mm in fruit, rounded, green with white margins; disk 0.8 mm in diameter, 6-lobed to subentire, styles 3, bifid, the stigmas recurved, reddish. Fruit depressed-subglobose, 3 mm in diameter, smooth, yellowish-green, partially enveloped by the persistent sepals.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	arvensis: of cultivated fields
Habitat:	In moist places in submontane grassland by streams, swamps and in seepage areas, also dambos and seepage areas on granite outcrops and stream sides.
Altitude range: (metres)	1220 - 2285 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Angola, DRC, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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:	Tuesday 29 January 2019
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 146. Mannheimer, C. & Curtis B. (2009). Le Roux and Müller's Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of Namibia Macmillan Education, Windhoek, Namibia. Page 483. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 42. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 49. Radcliffe-Smith, A. (1996). Euphorbiaceae Flora Zambesiaca 9(4) Pages 79 - 80.

Other sources of information about Phyllanthus arvensis:

Our websites:

Flora of Malawi: Phyllanthus arvensis
Flora of Zambia: Phyllanthus arvensis

External websites:

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