Phyllanthus tenuipes C.B.Rob.

Verwijs, J. I. M., Bouman, R. W. & Welzen, P. C. van, 2019, A taxonomic revision of Phyllanthus subgenus Macraea (Phyllanthaceae), Blumea 64 (3), pp. 231-252 : 246

19. Phyllanthus tenuipes C.B.Rob. — Map 11

Phyllanthus tenuipes C.B.Rob. (1909) 78; Merr. (1923) 396. — Lectotype (designated here): E. D. Merrill 4419 (K; iso NY, US), Philippines, Luzon , Benguet.

Shrubs to trees,up to 15 m high, monoecious, dbh at least 15 cm; branches terete, slightly winged, wings c. 0.1 mm wide, branches covered with short stiff brown hairs; internodes 2‒4 mm long. Outer bark brown, inner bark reddish, sometimes with yellow sap. Stipules ovate to triangular, c. 1.2 by 0.5‒0.6 mm, caducous or persistent, membranous, base bilaterally auriculate, margin brittle, thin, entire, apex acute. Leaves: petiole 0.4‒0.8 mm long, puberulous; blade elliptic to ovate, orbicular in earliest leaves on side branches, 5‒14 by 2.5‒10 mm, 1.1‒2.4 times longer than wide, membranous, glabrous, base truncate to rounded to obtuse, sometimes subcordate, margin slightly revolute, apex rounded to obtuse to acute, mucronate, upper side lighter than lower side; midrib barely elevated on lower side, lateral veins 5‒7 per side. Staminate flowers solitary, 0.6‒0.8 mm diam; pedicel 2‒24 mm long, glabrous, slender; sepals 6, oblong, 1‒1.1 by c. 0.5 mm, reddish with white margin, midrib not elevated, apex rounded; disc glands 6, ovate, 0.3‒0.4 mm long, c. 0.2 mm high and wide, smooth; stamens 3, c. 0.5 mm long, filaments free, deflexed to horizontal position, thecae globose, c. 0.2 mm long, rounded. Pistillate flowers solitary or in pairs, axillary, 1.2‒1.5 mm diam; pedicel c. 18 mm long, glabrous, slender; sepals 6, oblong to ovate, 1.3‒1.8 by 1‒1.1 mm, apex rounded or slightly obtuse; disc glands 6, circular, c. 0.3 mm diam by c. 0.1 mm high, crumpled; ovary on short gynophore of c. 0.1 mm, subglobose, 6-grooved, glabrous, smooth; style 0.3‒0.6 mm long, stigmas 3, 0.2‒0.5 mm long, completely bifid. Fruits depressed globose, 1.5‒2.5 mm diam, c. 1.5 mm high, 6-grooved, brown, glabrous, smooth; pedicel 15‒21 mm long; columella without gynophore c. 0.9 mm long, width c. 1.5 mm. Seeds trigonous, 1.1‒1.2 by c. 1 mm, brown, minutely verrucate along longitudinal lines.

Distribution — Philippines (Luzon (Benguet), Daklan to Kabayan, Itogon to Dilopirop).

Habitat & Ecology — In primary or secondary forests along cliffs or roadsides, sometimes on ultrabasic soils. Altitude: 50‒1500 m. Flowering and fruiting all year round.

Note — Described by Robinson (1909) as an undershrub of 30 cm high, but other specimens are shrubs of 1.5 m to trees of 15 m. Two main forms can be distinguished. The original, as described by Robinson, and a tree form with yellow sap and diamond-shaped leaves ( CE Ridsdale ISU 276 ) .

Figures

Map 11 Distribution of Phyllanthus ridsdalei R.W.Bouman & Verwijs (●) and P. tenuipes C.B.Rob. (▲) in the N Philippines.