Phyllanthus tenellus
Phyllanthus tenellus is a herbaceous plant in the leafflower family, Phyllanthaceae. It is commonly called Mascarene Island leaf flower as it is native to the Mascarene Islands. It is often a weed in flower beds, gardens, roadsides, and other disturbed areas. Description. It grows to be tall. The main stem does not have leaves but rather small scales (see phyllanthoid branching) and the secondary stems contain the flowers and leaves. The flowers are inconspicuous, small, and unisexual. Male and female flowers are located on the same plant. Taxonomy. It was originally published in William Roxburgh's 1814 "Hortus  Bengalensis" (as a "nomen nudum") and later validated in his 1832 "Flora Indica". It has two accepted varieties: Distribution. In addition to the Mascarene Islands, "P. tenellus" is possibly also native to eastern Africa, other western Indian Ocean islands, and the Arabian Peninsula. It has become a naturalized weed in tropical and subtropical areas, including Australia, Mexico, South America, Eastern North America (from Florida to Virginia west to California), as well as parts of Asia and the West Indies. Bibliography.