Phyllanthus minutiflorus F.Muell. ex Müll.Arg.

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 : 242

12. Phyllanthus minutiflorus F.Muell. ex Müll.Arg. — Map 6

Phyllanthus minutiflorus F.Muell. ex Müll.Arg. (1865) 75 (non F.Muell. ex Tate, nom. illeg. = Synostemon trachyspermus (F.Muell.) I.Telford & Pruesapan ); Baill. (1865–1866) 341; Müll.Arg. (1866) 398; Benth. (1873) 112; Airy Shaw (1980) 190; J.T.Hunter & J.J.Bruhl (1997) 158; R.L.Barrett & I.Telford (2015) 158. — Diasperus minutiflorus (F.Muell. ex Müll.Arg.) Kuntze (1891) 600. — Phyllanthus simplex Retz.var. minutiflorus (F.Muell. ex Müll.Arg.) Domin (1927) 877. — Phyllanthus virgatus G.Forst. var. minutiflorus (F.Muell. ex Müll.Arg.) Airy Shaw (1980) 190,pro syn. — Type: F.J.H. von Mueller s.n. (holo G-DC; iso? K), Australia, Northern Territory, Arnhem Land, Victoria River.

Phyllanthus minutiflorus F.Muell. ex Benth. var. gracillimus Benth. (1873) 112. — Phyllanthus simplex Retz. var. gracillimus (F.Muell. ex Benth.) Domin (1927) 877. — Type: F.J.H. von Mueller s.n. (holo K), Australia, Queensland Moreton Bay .

Small erect herbs or shrubs, 8‒45 cm high, monoecious; branches glabrous, slender, brown or green, minutely ridged, distally flattened and winged; internodes 1‒5 mm long. Stipules triangular, c. 1 by 0.5 mm, base cordate, margin entire or erose, apex attenuate. Leaves: petiole c. 0.5 mm long, glabrous; blade elliptic or ovate, 2‒14 by 1‒4 mm, 2‒5 times longer than wide, glabrous, dark green above, slightly lighter green underneath, base obtuse or rounded, margin not thickened, flat, apex rounded, obtuse or acute; midrib flat or slightly prominent above, prominent underneath, lateral veins not visible. Staminate flowers solitary or in pairs with also pistillate flowers, 0.7‒1.2 mm diam; pedicel 0.5‒0.8 mm long, glabrous, slender; sepals 6, elliptic, c. 0.4 by 0.2 mm, whitish, apex obtuse; disc glands 6, circular, c. 0.1 mm diam, flat; stamens 3, c. 0.2 mm long, filaments free, reflexed, thecae ovoid, c. 0.15 mm long. Pistillate flowers solitary, rarely in pairs with staminate or pistillate flowers, 1‒1.2 mm diam; pedicel 0.5‒2 mm long, glabrous; sepals 6, elliptic, c. 0.5 by 0.3 mm, whitish, apex obtuse, rarely acute; disc annular, flat, slightly crispate, c. 0.4 mm diam; ovary sessile, globular, c. 0.5 mm diam, c. 0.4 mm high, glabrous or verrucate; style absent, stigmas 3, c. 0.4 mm long, bifid for 1/2 of the length, reflexed. Fruits oblate, often splitting into 3 small, blunt tipped valves, 1‒1.8 mm diam, c. 0.8 mm high, 6-grooved, of which 3 slightly deeper than the others, glabrous, green; pedicel 0.5‒2 mm long, glabrous; columella c. 0.5 mm long. Seeds c. 1 by 0.8 mm, minutely verrucate, light brown, verrucae circular, randomly placed.

Distribution — Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia).

Habitat & Ecology — In (wet) woodlands and swamps. Altitude: 60‒ 825 m. Flowering and fruiting: February to August.

Note — Differing from P. virgatus by its slender branches, smaller pistillate flowers on shorter pedicels and smaller fruits and seeds.