Phyllanthus is the largest
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
in the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
PhyllanthaceaePhyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae. The Phyllanthaceae are most numerous in the tropics, with many in the south temperate zone, and a few ranging as far north as the middle of the north temperate...
. Estimates of the number
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
in this genus vary widely, from 750 to 1200.
Phyllanthus has a remarkable diversity of
growth formsHabit, when used in the context of biology, refers to the instinctive actions of animals and the natural tendencies of plants.In zoology, this term most often refers to specific behavioral characteristics, even when directly related to physiology...
including
annualAn annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
and
perennialA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
herbs,
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s,
climbersThe term vine may refer to a climbing or trailing plant. The word, derived from Latin vīnea, in the original sense referred to the grapevines . The modern extended sense is mostly restricted to North American English, which uses "grapevine" to refer to the grape-bearing Vitis species...
,
floating aquaticsAquatic plants — also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes — are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments. Because living on or under water surface requires numerous special adaptations, aquatic plants can only grow in water or permanently saturated soil...
, and
pachycaulousPachycaules are plants with disproportionately thick stems for their length, as in the genus Pachypodium. The word is derived from the New Latin pachycaule, from the Greek pachy, thick + caule, stemmed....
succulentsSucculent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climate or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems and/or roots. The storage of water often gives succulent plants a more swollen or fleshy appearance than other plants,...
. Some have flattened leaflike stems called
cladodesCladophylls, cladodes or phylloclades are branches or portions of a stem that resemble leaves and replace them as the main photosynthetic organs of the plant – they are often flattened, but may be needle-like...
. It has a wide variety of floral morphologies and chromosome numbers and has one of the widest range of
pollenPollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement between the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
types of any
seed plantThe spermatophytes comprise those plants that produce seeds. They are a subset of the embryophytes or land plants...
genus.
Despite their variety, almost all
Phyllanthus species express a specific type of growth called "phyllanthoid branching" in which the vertical stems bear
deciduousDeciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
, floriferous (flower-bearing), plagiotropic (horizontal or oblique) stems. The leaves on the main (vertical)
axesAxis may refer to:In politics:*A parameter used in describing political spectrum*Axis of evil, U.S. President George W. Bush's description of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea*Axis powers of World War IIIn science:...
are reduced to scales called "cataphylls", while leaves on the other axes develop normally.
Phyllanthus is the largest
genusIn biology, a genus is a taxonomic unit used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The term comes from Latin genus "descent, family, type, gender" , cognate with – genos, "race, stock, kin" ..In addition, genus is a taxonomic rank in the hierarchy In biology, a genus (plural:...
in the
familyIn biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus...
PhyllanthaceaePhyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae. The Phyllanthaceae are most numerous in the tropics, with many in the south temperate zone, and a few ranging as far north as the middle of the north temperate...
. Estimates of the number
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
in this genus vary widely, from 750 to 1200.
Phyllanthus has a remarkable diversity of
growth formsHabit, when used in the context of biology, refers to the instinctive actions of animals and the natural tendencies of plants.In zoology, this term most often refers to specific behavioral characteristics, even when directly related to physiology...
including
annualAn annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
and
perennialA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
herbs,
shrubA shrub or bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of woody plant, distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and lower height, usually less than 5-6 m tall. A large number of plants can be either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s,
climbersThe term vine may refer to a climbing or trailing plant. The word, derived from Latin vīnea, in the original sense referred to the grapevines . The modern extended sense is mostly restricted to North American English, which uses "grapevine" to refer to the grape-bearing Vitis species...
,
floating aquaticsAquatic plants — also called hydrophytic plants or hydrophytes — are plants that have adapted to living in or on aquatic environments. Because living on or under water surface requires numerous special adaptations, aquatic plants can only grow in water or permanently saturated soil...
, and
pachycaulousPachycaules are plants with disproportionately thick stems for their length, as in the genus Pachypodium. The word is derived from the New Latin pachycaule, from the Greek pachy, thick + caule, stemmed....
succulentsSucculent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climate or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems and/or roots. The storage of water often gives succulent plants a more swollen or fleshy appearance than other plants,...
. Some have flattened leaflike stems called
cladodesCladophylls, cladodes or phylloclades are branches or portions of a stem that resemble leaves and replace them as the main photosynthetic organs of the plant – they are often flattened, but may be needle-like...
. It has a wide variety of floral morphologies and chromosome numbers and has one of the widest range of
pollenPollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement between the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
types of any
seed plantThe spermatophytes comprise those plants that produce seeds. They are a subset of the embryophytes or land plants...
genus.
Despite their variety, almost all
Phyllanthus species express a specific type of growth called "phyllanthoid branching" in which the vertical stems bear
deciduousDeciduous means falling off at maturity or tending to fall off and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
, floriferous (flower-bearing), plagiotropic (horizontal or oblique) stems. The leaves on the main (vertical)
axesAxis may refer to:In politics:*A parameter used in describing political spectrum*Axis of evil, U.S. President George W. Bush's description of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea*Axis powers of World War IIIn science:...
are reduced to scales called "cataphylls", while leaves on the other axes develop normally.
Phyllanthus is distributed in all tropical and subtropical regions on
EarthEarth is the third planet from the Sun. It is the fifth largest of the eight planets in the solar system, and the largest of the terrestrial planets in the Solar System in terms of diameter, mass and density...
.
Leafflower is the common name for all
Phyllanthus species.
The
circumscriptionIn taxonomy, circumscription is the definition of the limits of a taxonomic group of organisms. One goal of taxonomy is to achieve a stable circumscription for every taxonomic group. Achieving stability can range from simple or difficult....
of this genus has been a cause of much confusion and disagreement. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that
Phyllanthus is paraphyletic over
ReverchoniaReverchonia arenaria is a plant species of the Phyllanthaceae family and the sole species in the genus Reverchonia. It is a sand dune annual and confined to the Southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico....
,
GlochidionGlochidion are a taxon of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae. It comprises about 300 species, distributed from Madagascar to the Pacific Islands...
,
SauropusThe genus Sauropus, of the Phyllanthaceae family, comprises about 40 species of herbs, shrubs or subshrubs, sometimes with woody bases. These plants can be monoecious or dioecious. They are distributed in Southeast Asia, Malesia and Australia....
, and
BreyniaBreynia is a plant genus in the family Phyllanthaceae. It has 35 species, distributed from India to Australia.-Synonymy:This genus is also known under several names:*Foersteria
Scop.*Forsteria
Steud....
. A recent revision of the family Phyllanthaceae has subsumed all four of these genera into
Phyllanthus. This enlarged version of
Phyllanthus might eventually be divided into smaller genera, but much more research will be needed before anyone knows how to do this. Progress continues to be made in this area.
Selected species
- Phyllanthus acidus - Otaheite gooseberry
- Phyllanthus acuminatus - Jamaican gooseberry tree
- Phyllanthus caroliniensis
Phyllanthus caroliniensis is a flowering plant native to the Americas, from the southeastern United States all the way to Argentina. The flowers are small and located where the leaf meets the stem. It may have medical uses, specifically in reducing pain....
- native to the Americas
- Phyllanthus emblica - Indian gooseberry
The Indian gooseberry is a deciduous tree of the Euphorbiaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name....
, also known as amlaAmla may refer to:* Indian gooseberry, called amla in Hindi. Amla is the size of a lemon, spherical, bitter and yellow-green.* Hashim Amla, a South African cricketer of Indian descent* Amla, Madhya Pradesh, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India...
or amalaki.
- Phyllanthus mirabilis
Phyllanthus mirabilis is a plant species of family Phyllanthaceae endemic to Thailand. It is the only Phyllanthus to be caudiciform. The leaves fold together at night....
- the only succulent species of this genus
- Phyllanthus niruri
The annual herb Phyllanthus niruri is best known by the common names Stonebreaker, Chanca Piedra and Quebra Pedra, Seed-Under-Leaf but has many other common names in assorted languages, including dukong anak, dukong-dukong anak, amin buah, rami buah, turi hutan, and bhuiaonla...
- Chanca piedra (Also includes P. amarus and P. debilis)
- Phyllanthus urinaria - chamberbitter
- Phyllanthus fluitans - red root floater, sometimes sold in aquarium shops
For full list, see
List of Phyllanthus species.
Medical interest
The herb
Phyllanthus emblica has gained interest as a potiential treatment for human bone disorders as well
as diabetes patients.
Gaining attention for its potential effects against
hepatitisHepatitis implies injury to the liver characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from ancient Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...
B, research on
Phyllanthus niruriThe annual herb Phyllanthus niruri is best known by the common names Stonebreaker, Chanca Piedra and Quebra Pedra, Seed-Under-Leaf but has many other common names in assorted languages, including dukong anak, dukong-dukong anak, amin buah, rami buah, turi hutan, and bhuiaonla...
has revealed possible antiviral activity also against human immunodeficiency virus (
HIVHuman immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which the immune system begins to fail, leading to life-threatening opportunistic infections. Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood, semen, vaginal fluid,...
).
Phyllanthus plants have been used in
folk medicineFolk medicine refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology and health preservation widely known to much of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture . All cultures and societies have knowledge best...
used to treat a wide number of diseases. In
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
n Ayurvedic medicine, various herbaceous
Phyllanthus species are known as
bhuiamla, a name previously assigned to
P. niruri only. Bhuiamla is prescribed for
jaundiceJaundice, also known as icterus , is a yellowish discoloration of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia...
,
gonorrheaGonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae...
and diabetes (internal use) as well as
poulticeA poultice, also called cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body...
s, skin ulcer and other
skinThe skin is the outer covering of the body. In humans, it is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of mesodermal tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. Skin of a different nature exists in amphibians, reptiles, birds...
problems (external use).
InfusionAn infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with a desired flavour in water or oil.-History:The first recorded use of essential oils was in the 10th century by the Muslim Persian chemist Avicenna.-Preparation techniques:...
s are made from young shoots as a treatment of chronic
dysenteryDysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the feces. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal....
. None of these supposed benefits, however, is established with scientific research.
Leaves, roots, stem, bark and berries of this genus contain
lignanThe lignans are a group of chemical compounds found in plants, particularly in flax seed. Lignans are one of the major classes of phytoestrogens, which are estrogen-like chemicals and also act as antioxidants. The other classes of phytoestrogens are the isoflavones, and coumestans...
s (e.g. phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin) and a variety of other
phytochemicalPhytochemicals are chemical compounds such as beta-carotene that occur naturally in plants. The term is generally used to refer to those chemicals that may affect health...
s.
External links
- Molecular Phylogenetics of Phyllanthaceae
- Pruesapan on tribe Phyllantheae