| Smartweed leaf-flower | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Phyllanthaceae |
| Genus: | Phyllanthus |
| Species: | P. polygonoides
|
| Binomial name | |
| Phyllanthus polygonoides Nuttall ex Sprengel
| |
Phyllanthus polygonoides, known as smartweed leaf-flower [1] or knotweed leafflower, is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Phyllanthaceae. It grows from 10 to 50 centimeters in height. It is native to the United States ( Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Louisiana) and northern and central Mexico. [2]
Smartweed leaf-flower grows in a variety of habitats throughout its range, including grasslands, shrublands (including the Chihuahuan Desert), and glades in forests. It is often associated with limestone and calcareous soils. [2]
It is morphologically similar to the closely related species, pinewoods dainties ( Phyllanthus liebmannianus). In the United States these species are allopatrically distributed, but there is a zone of overlap in the ranges of the two species in central Mexico. [2]
References
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Phyllanthus polygonoides". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 2017-04-17.
- ^ a b c "Phyllanthus abnormis in Flora of North America @ efloras.org". www.efloras.org. Retrieved 2017-04-16.