Phyllanthus womersleyi Airy Shaw & G.L.Webster

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 : 249

24. Phyllanthus womersleyi Airy Shaw & G.L.Webster — Map 12

Phyllanthus womersleyi Airy Shaw & G.L.Webster in G.L.Webster & Airy Shaw (1971) 86; Airy Shaw (1980) 196; Punt (1980) 163. — Type: NGF (J.S. Womersley) 11311 (holo K; iso A, BISH, BRI, CANB, L (L0016456)), Papua New Guinea, Western Highlands, Wabag Sub-district, Merimanta, Porget logging area.

Prostrate herbs or subshrubs, sometimes erect, then up to 150 cm high, monoecious; branches brown, red or purple, glabrous, with 2 minute ridges, often partly without leaves, but with persistent stipules; internodes 0.5‒4 mm long; aerial roots occasionally present on nodes when prostrate, up to 0.5 mm thick. Stipules irregularly orbicular, 1‒1.8 mm diam, base rounded, margin erose, sometimes entire or spinose, apex rounded. Leaves: petiole c. 0.5 mm long, glabrous; blade (sub)orbicular, rarely ovate, 2‒4 mm diam, about equally long as wide, glabrous, grey-green when dry, sometimes with red hue, base rounded or obtuse, margin not thickened, flat, apex rounded, rarely obtuse; midrib sunken above, prominent underneath, lateral veins 4 or 5, barely visible. Staminate flowers solitary, 2.5‒3 mm diam; pedicel c. 3 mm long, glabrous; sepals 6, elliptic, apex rounded, red, in two whorls, outer ones c. 1.2 by 0.8 mm, inner ones c. 1 by 0.6 mm; disc glands 6, oblate, c. 0.5 mm diam, c. 0.1 mm high, foveolate; stamens 3, c. 0.9 mm long, filaments connate at base, reflexed, robust, thecae subglobular, c. 0.2 mm long, bright yellow. Pistillate flowers solitary, 2.5‒3 mm diam; pedicel 3‒4 mm long, glabrous; sepals 6, elliptic, c. 1.2 by 0.8 mm, red, apex rounded or obtuse; disc glands 6, oblate, c. 0.5 mm diam, c. 0.1 mm high, foveolate, flat, in fruit merging and flattened, then minutely foveolate; ovary sessile, ovoid, c. 0.5 by 0.5 mm, verrucose; style absent, stigmas 3, c. 1 mm long, thin, bifid for 1/2 of the length, reflexed. Fruits subglobular, 2‒2.5 mm diam, 6-grooved, red or purple, basally glabrous, apically verrucose or lepidote; pedicel 3‒5 mm long, glabrous; columella c. 1 mm long. Seeds c. 1.5 by 0.6 mm, smooth, chestnut-brown.

Distribution — Papua New Guinea (Southern and Western Highlands).

Habitat & Ecology — In forests, grassland, on exposed or open patches, amongst pit-pit ( Saccharum edule Hassk. , Poaceae ), or in ground cover beneath Rhododendron and fern species. Common on drier ground, but also found on a saturated swampy lake-margin. Altitude: 2250‒3270 m. Flowering and fruiting: April to December.

Uses — Eaten by pregnant women, who hope to have a son, especially if they only had daughters so far (Bowers 59).

Vernacular names — Nom, Noma (Tomba), Nohm (Enga, Poio dialect), Num (Enga, Kepilaum dialect), Nomə k’omə (Medlpa, Kaugel dialect; partly after Webster & Airy Shaw (1971)).

Notes — 1. Phyllanthus womersleyi is the only species in Macraea with fully connate filaments, which, together with its small orbicular leaves and general prostrate habit, makes it easily distinguishable from related species. The filaments in P. ridsdalei are often variably connate and may appear similar, but the pistillate flowers (with excerted style) in that species are quite distinctive. They also do not overlap in distribution.

2. Placement in subg. Macraea was also confirmed by palynological studies by Punt (1980) and Wu et al. (2016), which found clypeate pollen typicial for the group.

Figures

Map 12 Distribution of Phyllanthus tararae Verwijs (●) and P. womersleyi Airy Shaw & G.L.Webster (▲) in Papua New Guinea.