Phyllanthus

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Phyllanthus
Phyllanthus mirabilis5 ies.jpg
Phyllanthus mirabilis
Phyllanthus fluitans 2010-06-20 01.jpg
Phyllanthus fluitans
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Phyllanthaceae
Subfamily: Phyllanthoideae
Tribe: Phyllantheae
Genus: Phyllanthus
L.
Diversity
About 800 species
Synonyms [1]
List
  • AnisonemaA.Juss.
  • AporosellaChodat
  • ArachnodesGagnep.
  • ArdinghaliaComm. ex A.Juss.
  • AsterandraKlotzsch
  • CathetusLour.
  • CeramanthusHassk.
  • ChlorolepisNutt.
  • ChorisandraWight, nom. illeg.
  • ChorizonemaJean F.Brunel
  • CiccaL.
  • ClambusMiers
  • ConamiAubl.
  • CyccaBatsch
  • DendrophyllanthusS.Moore
  • DichelactinaHance
  • DichrophyllumKlotzsch & Garcke
  • DimorphocladiumBritton
  • EmblicaGaertn.
  • EpistyliumSw.
  • EriococcusHassk.
  • FlueggeopsisK.Schum.
  • GeminariaRaf.
  • GenesiphylaRaf.
  • GenesiphyllaL'Hér.
  • HemiciccaBaill.
  • Hemiglochidion(Müll.Arg.) K.Schum., nom. superfl.
  • HexadenaRaf.
  • HexaspermumDomin
  • KirganeliaJuss.
  • LeichhardtiaF.Muell.
  • LomanthesRaf.
  • MacraeaWight
  • MaschalanthusNutt., nom. illeg.
  • MeboreaAubl.
  • MenardaComm. ex A.Juss.
  • MoerorisRaf.
  • NellicaRaf.
  • NiruriAdans.
  • NirurisRaf.
  • NymaniaK.Schum.
  • NymphanthusLour.
  • OrbiculariaBaill.
  • OxalistylisBaill.
  • PseudoglochidionGamble
  • RamsdeniaBritton
  • ReidiaWight
  • ReverchoniaA.Gray
  • RhopiumSchreb.
  • RoigiaBritton
  • ScepasmaBlume
  • StaurothyraxGriff.
  • SynexemiaRaf.
  • TephranthusNeck., opus utique oppr.
  • TricariumLour.
  • UrantheraPax & K.Hoffm.
  • UrinariaMedik.
  • WilliamiaBaill.
  • XylophyllaL.
Plagiotropic shoots of Phyllanthus pulcher Gardenology.org-IMG 8047 qsbg11mar.jpg
Plagiotropic shoots of Phyllanthus pulcher
Fruit of Phyllanthus acidus Otaheite gooseberry.JPG
Fruit of Phyllanthus acidus
Male and female flowers of Phyllanthus acidus Phyllanthus acidus 2.jpg
Male and female flowers of Phyllanthus acidus
Flattened stems and flowers of Phyllanthus angustifolius IMG 7294-Phyllanthus angustifolius.jpg
Flattened stems and flowers of Phyllanthus angustifolius
Leaves of Phyllanthus urinaria Phyllanthus urinaria leaves.jpg
Leaves of Phyllanthus urinaria

Phyllanthus is the largest genus in the plant family Phyllanthaceae. Estimates of the number of species in this genus vary widely, from 750 [2] to 1200. [3] Phyllanthus has a remarkable diversity of growth forms including annual and perennial herbs, shrubs, climbers, floating aquatics, and pachycaulous succulents. Some have flattened leaflike stems called cladodes. It has a wide variety of floral morphologies and chromosome numbers and has one of the widest range of pollen types of any seed plant genus.

Contents

Despite their variety, almost all Phyllanthus species express a specific type of growth called "phyllanthoid branching" in which the vertical stems bear deciduous, floriferous (flower-bearing), plagiotropic (horizontal or oblique) stems. The leaves on the main (vertical) axes are reduced to scales called "cataphylls", while leaves on the other axes develop normally. [4] Phyllanthus is distributed in all tropical and subtropical regions on Earth.

Phyllanthus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753, [5] [6] but the type was not designated. [5]

Species

The circumscription of this genus has been a cause of much confusion and disagreement. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that Phyllanthus is paraphyletic over Reverchonia, Glochidion , Sauropus , and Breynia. A 2006 revision of the family Phyllanthaceae has subsumed all four of these genera into Phyllanthus. [7] This enlarged version of Phyllanthus might eventually be divided into smaller genera, [8] [9] including 32 Chinese (and northern Indochinese) species. [10] A complete overhaul of the genus, including a new classification is currently underway, following a recent indepth molecular treatment of major groups included. [11]

Selected species

Fossil record

Two fossil seeds of a Phyllanthus species have been extracted from borehole samples of the Middle Miocene fresh water deposits in Nowy Sacz Basin, West Carpathians, Poland. The seeds are similar to seeds of the fossil species †Phyllanthus triquetra and †Phyllanthus compassica from the Oligocene and Miocene of West Siberia. Phyllanthus fossils are known from several Miocene and Pliocene sites in Poland. [15]

Pollination biology

Phyllanthus are of note in the fields of pollination biology and coevolution because some but not all species in the genus have a specialized mutualism with moths in the genus Epicephala (leafflower moths), in which the moths actively pollinate the flowers. While ensuring that the tree may produce viable seeds, the moths also lay eggs in the flowers' ovaries where their larvae consume a subset of the developing seeds as nourishment. [16] [17] Other species of Epicephala are pollinators of certain species of plants in the genera Glochidion [18] [19] and Breynia , [20] [21] both of which are phylogenetically nested within Phyllanthus. [22]

Research and traditional medicine

Particularly for its content of tannins, P. emblica fruit has a history of use in traditional medicine and is under study for its potential biological properties. [23] Leaves, roots, stem, bark and berries of this genus contain lignans and other phytochemicals. [24] [25] [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyllanthaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Phyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae.

<i>Bischofia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Bischofia is a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1827. It is native to southern China, the Indian Subcontinent, Queensland, New Guinea, and various islands of the Pacific. It is the only member of the tribe Bischofieae. They are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants, but may rarely be monoecious.

Leptonema is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae first described in 1824. The entire genus is endemic to Madagascar. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants.

  1. Leptonema glabrum(Leandri) Leandri
  2. Leptonema venosum(Poir.) A.Juss.

Thecacoris is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1821. It is native to tropical Africa and Madagascar. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants, although it may rarely be monoecious.

<i>Baccaurea</i> Genus of flowering plants

Baccaurea is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae. The genus comprises 51 species, distributed from India to Indochina, southern China, Malesia, New Guinea, and the West Pacific. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants. Many species contain edible fruits.

Nothobaccaurea is a genus of flowering plant belonging to the family Phyllanthaceae, first described as a genus in 2000. It is native to various islands in the Pacific. The genus is named for its false resemblance with Baccaurea. Like Baccaurea, it is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants.

Andrachne is a genus of flowering plants in the family Phyllanthaceae described by Linnaeus in 1753. It is one of eight genera in the tribe Poranthereae.

<i>Breynia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Breynia is a genus in the flowering plant family Phyllanthaceae, first described in 1776. It is native to Southeast Asia, China, Réunion, the Indian Subcontinent, Papuasia and Australia.

<i>Glochidion</i> Genus of flowering plants

Glochidion is a genus of flowering plants, of the family Phyllanthaceae, known as cheese trees or buttonwood in Australia, and leafflower trees in the scientific literature. It comprises about 300 species, distributed from Madagascar to the Pacific Islands. Glochidion species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Aenetus eximia and Endoclita damor. The Nicobarese people have attested to the medicinal properties found in G. calocarpum, saying that its bark and seed are most effective in curing abdominal disorders associated with amoebiasis.

Gonatogyne is a genus of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1873. It contains only one known species, Gonatogyne brasiliensis, endemic to southeastern Brazil. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants.

<i>Lachnostylis</i> Genus of flowering plants

Lachnostylis is a genus of the family Phyllanthaceae first described as a genus in 1846. It is native to the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape Provinces of South Africa. It is often included in Savia. It is dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants.

  1. Lachnostylis bilocularisR.A.Dyer
  2. Lachnostylis hirta(L.f.) Müll.Arg.
<i>Breynia oblongifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Breynia oblongifolia, commonly known as coffee bush, grows naturally in Australia and New Guinea as shrubs up to 3 m (10 ft) in height. The species produces alternate, distichous, ovate leaves 20–30 mm (0.8–1.2 in) long by 10–20 mm (0.4–0.8 in) wide. Small, green flowers are produced in spring and summer, and these are followed by orange or pink berries about 6 mm (0.24 in) diameter that turn black when fully ripe.

Poranthereae is a tribe in the plant family Phyllanthaceae. It is one of ten tribes in the family, and one of four tribes in the subfamily Phyllanthoideae. Poranthereae comprises about 111 species, distributed into eight genera. The largest genera and the number of species in each are Actephila (31), Meineckia (30), and Andrachne (22).

<i>Epicephala</i> Genus of moths

Epicephala is a genus of moths in the family Gracillariidae.

<i>Breynia vitis-idaea</i> Species of flowering plant

Breynia vitis-idaea, the officinal breynia, is a perennial tree-like species of Phyllanthaceae, found from India east to Taiwan and Okinawa and south to Indonesia. It is a shrub or treelet with egg-shaped leaves that can reach up to 3 m tall. It has staminate flowers and spherical, red fruit.

<i>Breynia disticha</i> Species of flowering plant

Breynia disticha is a plant in the family Phyllanthaceae, first described in 1776. It is native to New Caledonia and Vanuatu in the western Pacific, but naturalized on a wide assortment of other islands around the world, as well as in the U.S. state of Florida.

<i>Breynia cernua</i> Species of flowering plant

Breynia cernua grows naturally in Australia and Malesia as a shrub up to 2 m (7 ft) in height.

<i>Phyllanthus reticulatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Phyllanthus reticulatus is a plant species described Jean Louis Marie Poiret; it is included in the family Phyllanthaceae.

References

  1. "Phyllanthus L." Plants of the World Online . Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  2. David J. Mabberley. 2008. Mabberley's Plant-Book. third edition (2008). Cambridge University Press.[ page needed ]
  3. Kathriarachchi H, Hoffmann P, Samuel R, Wurdack KJ, Chase MW (July 2005). "Molecular phylogenetics of Phyllanthaceae inferred from five genes (plastid atpB, matK, 3'ndhF, rbcL, and nuclear PHYC)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 36 (1): 112–34. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.12.002. PMID   15904861.
  4. Webster, Grady L. (1994). "Classification of the Euphorbiaceae". Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden. 81 (1): 3–32. doi:10.2307/2399908. JSTOR   2399908.
  5. 1 2 "Phyllanthus". Australian Plant Name Index, IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
  6. Linnaeus, C. (1753) Species Plantarum 2: 981.
  7. Hoffmann, Petra; Kathriarachchi, Hashendra S.; Wurdack, Kenneth J. (2006). "A Phylogenetic Classification of Phyllanthaceae". Kew Bulletin. 61 (1): 37–53.
  8. Kathriarachchi, Hashendra S.; Samuel, Rosabelle; Hoffmann, Petra; Mlinarec, Jelena; Wurdack, Kenneth J.; Ralimanana, Hélène; Stuessy, Tod F.; Chase, Mark W. (2006). "Phylogenetics of tribe Phyllantheae (Phyllanthaceae) based on nrITS and plastid matK DNA sequence data". American Journal of Botany. 93 (4): 637–655. doi: 10.3732/ajb.93.4.637 . PMID   21646224.
  9. Kanchana Pruesapan, Ian R.H. Telford, Jeremy J. Bruhl, Stefano G.A. Draisma, and Peter C. Van Welzen. 2008. "Delimitation of Sauropus (Phyllanthaceae) Based on Plastid matK and Nuclear Ribosomal ITS DNA Sequence Data." Annals of Botany102(6):1007-1018
  10. "Flora of China". eFlora. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  11. Bouman, Roderick W.; Keßler, Paul J. A.; Telford, Ian R. H.; Bruhl, Jeremy J.; Strijk, Joeri S.; Saunders, Richard M. K.; Welzen, Peter C. van (2021). "Molecular phylogenetics of Phyllanthus sensu lato (Phyllanthaceae): Towards coherent monophyletic taxa". Taxon. 70 (1): 72–98. doi: 10.1002/tax.12424 . hdl: 1887/3248720 . ISSN   1996-8175.
  12. "Phyllanthus phialanthoides (Phyllanthaceae), a new species from northeastern Cuba" (JSTOR)
  13. 1 2 Luo, S.X., H.-J. Esser, D. Zhang, and S. S. Renner. 2011. Nuclear ITS sequences help disentangle Phyllanthus reticulatus (Phyllanthaceae), an Asian species not occurring in Africa, but introduced to Jamaica. Systematic Botany 36(1): 99-104.
  14. Bussmann, R. W.; Gilbreath, GG; Solio, J; Lutura, M; Lutuluo, R; Kunguru, K; Wood, N; Mathenge, SG (2006). "Plant use of the Maasai of Sekenani Valley, Maasai Mara, Kenya". J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2: 22. doi: 10.1186/1746-4269-2-22 . PMC   1475560 . PMID   16674830.
  15. Macroscopic plant remains from the freshwater Miocene of the Nowy Sącz Basin (West Carpathians, Poland) by Łańcucka-Środoniowa M, Acta Palaeobotanica 1979 20 (1): 3-117.
  16. Kawakita, A.; Kato, M. 2004. "Evolution of obligate pollination mutualism in New Caledonian Phyllanthus (Euphorbiaceae)." American Journal of Botany91: 410–415.
  17. Kawakita, A.; Kato, M. 2009. "Repeated independent evolution of obligate pollination mutualism in the Phyllantheae-Epicephala association." Proceedings of the Royal Society B.276: 417–426.
  18. Hembry, D. H.; Okamoto, T.; Gillespie, R. G. (2012) Repeated colonization of remote islands by specialized mutualists. Biology Letters. 8: 258–261.
  19. Luo, S.-X.; Yao, G.; Wang, Z.; Zhang, D.; Hembry, D. H. (2017) "A novel, enigmatic basal leafflower moth lineage pollinating a derived leafflower host illustrates the dynamics of host shifts, partner replacement, and apparent co-adaptation in intimate mutualisms." The American Naturalist. 189: 422–435
  20. Kawakita, A.; Kato, M. 2004. Obligate pollination mutualism in Breynia (Phyllanthaceae): further documentation of pollination mutualism involving Epicephala moths (Gracillariidae). American Journal of Botany. 91: 1319–1325.
  21. Zhang, J.; Wang, S.; Li, H.; Hu, B.; Yang, X.; Wang, Z. 2012. "Diffuse coevolution between two Epicephala species (Gracillariidae) and two Breynia species (Phyllanthaceae). PLOS ONE.7: e41657.
  22. Kathriarachchi, H.; Samuel, R.; Hoffmann, P.; Mlinarec, J.; Wurdack, K. J.; Ralimanana, H.; Stuessy, T. F.; Chase, M. W. 2006. "Phylogenetics of tribe Phyllantheae (Phyllanthaceae: Euphorbiaceae sensu lato) based on nrITS and plastid matK DNA sequence data." American Journal of Botany.93: 637–655.
  23. Yang, B; Liu, P (2014). "Composition and biological activities of hydrolyzable tannins of fruits of Phyllanthus emblica". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 62 (3): 529–41. doi:10.1021/jf404703k. PMID   24369850.
  24. Murugaiyah V, Chan KL (June 2007). "Determination of four lignans in Phyllanthus niruri L. by a simple high-performance liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection". Journal of Chromatography A. 1154 (1–2): 198–204. doi:10.1016/j.chroma.2007.03.079. PMID   17418855.
  25. Srivastava V, Singh M, Malasoni R, et al. (January 2008). "Separation and quantification of lignans in Phyllanthus species by a simple chiral densitometric method". Journal of Separation Science. 31 (1): 47–55. doi:10.1002/jssc.200700282. PMID   18064620.
  26. Bagalkotkar G, Sagineedu SR, Saad MS, Stanslas J (December 2006). "Phytochemicals from Phyllanthus niruri Linn. and their pharmacological properties: a review". The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 58 (12): 1559–70. doi: 10.1211/jpp.58.12.0001 . PMID   17331318.