Phyllanthus lacunarius
F.Muell. Lagoon SpurgeMonoecious annual herb or subshrub to c. 0.3 m high; branchlets ellipsoid to flattened in section. At least some leaves subtending branches reduced to stipule-like scales; normal leaves elliptic or obovate, 6–17 mm long, 2.5–6 mm wide, rounded to c. truncate, sometimes mucronate, glabrous; petioles to 1.5 mm long; stipules triangular, 0.7–2.3 mm long, cream to yellow-brown. Inflorescences with sexes mixed. Male flowers 1–6 per axil; pedicels 0.6–2.3 mm long; sepals 0.4–0.9 mm long, red; disc 0.4–0.6 mm wide; anthers subsessile. Female flowers 1–2 per axil; pedicels at anthesis 0.2–1 mm long, in fruit 1–3 mm long; sepals 0.4–1.1 mm long, white or green; disc 0.5–1 mm wide; styles variously divided, 0.2–0.4 mm long. Capsule transversely ellipsoid, apically depressed, 1.2–2 mm long, 2.5–4.5 mm wide; seeds yellow-brown, orange, pallid-brown or red-brown, 0.9–1.7 mm long, striate, flat-sided. Flowers Dec.–Aug.
MSB, RobP. Also SA, Qld, NSW. Very rare in Victoria, confined to cracking clay soils of the Murray River floodplain downstream of Swan Hill.
Many earlier records of this species are attributable to Phyllanthus lacunellus.
Hunter, J.T.; Bruhl, J.J. (1999). Phyllanthus. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 74–78. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
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