Moeroris tenella

Family:PHYLLANTHACEAE
Species:Moeroris tenella (Roxb.) R.W. Bouman
Common Name:Mascarene Island Leaf Flower; Long Stalk Leaf Flower
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Herb
Duration:Annual
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:**
Plant Notes:Mascarene Island Leaf Flower is an introduced herbaceous annual in the Leaf Flower family (Phyllanthaceae). It is native to the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean and possibly east Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and other islands in the Indian Ocean. In can be found throughout Alabama, but is most common in the southern half of the state. Mascarene Island Leaf Flower occurs in flower beds, in gardens, in lawns, on roadsides, and in other disturbed areas. It is an annual with a taproot. The stems are erect, round in cross section, not winged, glabrous or scabridulous, and green or reddish-brown in color. The vertical stems have phyllanthoid branches (horizontal, flower-bearing stems) that resemble pinnately compound leaves. The leaves on the main stem are small and scale-like. Those on the branches are well-developed, elliptic or obovate in outline, glabrous, and entire. Flowers are solitary or in cymules in the axils of the leaves, the proximal bisexual with 1–2 pistillate flowers and 2–3 staminate flowers, the distal with 1 pistillate flower. The peduncles of the pistillate flowers are long and capillary. Staminate flowers have 5 white sepals with green midribs and 5 stamens. Pistillate flowers have 5 white sepals with green midribs and an unlobed annular nectary. The fruit is a smooth capsule. Mascarene Island Leaf Flower is an aggressive weed that was first reported in the United States from Florida in 1920. It begins to fruit when very young, and is difficult to eliminate once established.—A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Not Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyPHYLLANTHACEAE - Leaf Flower family
Genus Moeroris
Species Moeroris tenella (Roxb.) R.W. Bouman - Mascarene Island Leaf Flower; Long Stalk Leaf Flower

Citation

Citation Moeroris tenella (Roxburgh) R.W. Bouman, Phytotaxa 540(1): 31. 2022.
Basionym: Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb. 1832.
Type: INDIA: Cult. at Calcutta, s.d., Wallich 7892A (holotype: K).

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Diasperus corcovadensis Diasperus corcovadensis (Müller Argoviensis) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 601. 1891.Phyllanthus corcovadensis Müller Argoviensis 1874. 
Diasperus tenellus Diasperus tenellus (Roxburgh) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 601. 1891.Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh 1832. 
Phyllanthus brisbanicus Phyllanthus brisbanicus F. M. Bailey, Queensland Fl. 1418. 1902. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: Brisbane,
Phyllanthus corcovadensis Phyllanthus corcovadensis Müller Argoviensis, in Martius, Fl. Bras. 11(2): 30, t. 6(2). 1873. BRAZIL: Rio De Janeiro: Monte Corcovado near Rio de Janeiro, s.d., Glaziou 229 (holotype: ?).
Phyllanthus minor Phyllanthus minor Fawcett & Rendle, J. Bot. 57: 65. 1919. JAMAICA: Hope Botanic Gardens, s.d., Harris 12208 (lectotype: UCWI; isolectotypes: GH, IJ, MT, NY?, US). Lectotypified by G. L. Webster, Brittonia 22: 63. 1970.
Phyllanthus tenellus Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb., Flora Indica (ed. Carey) 3: 668. 1832. INDIA: Cult. at Calcutta, s.d., Wallich 7892A (holotype: K).

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Bullock, Calhoun, Coffee, Conecuh, Escambia, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery, Morgan, Pike, Tuscaloosa

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, JSU, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1986 - 1986

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
UWAL0015198 Henry 13 Jan 2013 Diamond, Alvin R.
23651
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
JSU141237 Houston 25 Sep 1994 MacDonald, John R.
7786
JSU
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
UWAL0032124 Houston 13 Aug 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26707
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
TROY000035955 Conecuh 14 Oct 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
23516
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
TROY000042884 Houston 13 Aug 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26707
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
AUA_ACC_63881 Pike 8 May 2004 Diamond, Alvin R.
14263
AUA
Phyllanthus Tenellus Roxb.
ALNHS00003336 Houston 17 Jun 2015 Barger, T. Wayne
DTP-222
ALNHS
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
AUA_ACC_3278 1954 Davis, Donald E.
AUA
Phyllanthus Tenellus Roxb.
UNA00062967 Pike 08 May 2004 Diamond, Alvin R.
14263
UNA
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
UWAL0037452 Bullock 17 May 2016 Soehren, Eric C.
286
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
TROY000044673 Geneva 17 Aug 2017 Byrd, Cameron
1413
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
UNA00059284 Calhoun 31 Jul 2002 Spaulding, Daniel D.
11513
UNA
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
UWAL0044922 Escambia 13 Jul 2011 Hansen, Curtis J.
5114A
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
TROY000019015 Calhoun 31 Jul 2002 Spaulding, Daniel D.
11513
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
TROY000036492 Henry 13 Jan 2013 Diamond, Alvin R.
23651
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
AUA000035555 Escambia 13 Jul 2011 Hansen, Curtis J.
5114A
AUA
Phyllanthus Tenellus Roxb.
TROY000043892 Montgomery 17 Jan 2016 Diamond, Alvin R.
27142
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
TROY000004735 Pike 11 Dec 1998 Rundell, Hannelore
s.n.
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
AUA_ACC_48097 Pike 10 Jan 1988 Diamond, Alvin R.
4051
AUA
Phyllanthus Tenellus Roxb.
TROY000033903 Coffee 06 Sep 2011 Counts, Kayla
12
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
AUA_ACC_55465 Pike 20 Sep 1994 Diamond, Alvin R.
9391
AUA
Phyllanthus Tenellus Roxb.
JSU141238 Houston 10 Sep 1994 MacDonald, John R.
7651
JSU
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
TROY000050644 Morgan 26 Jul 2012 England, J. Kevin
3793
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
UWAL0048322 Bullock 07 Jul 2017 Horne, Howard E.
4006
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
UWAL0043471 Baldwin 20 Jun 2001 Larsen, Harry S.
862
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
UWAL0011535 Conecuh 14 Oct 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
23516
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
UWAL0050255 Madison 10 Aug 2020 Finzel, Brian
s.n.
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
TROY000004736 Pike 08 May 2004 Diamond, Alvin R.
14263
TROY
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
UNA00018697 Tuscaloosa 10 Jul 1986 Horn, Charles N.
1142
UNA
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
UNA00055930 Houston 22 Oct 1994 MacDonald, John R.
8103
UNA
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
AUA_ACC_51568 Coffee 27 Jul 1989 Diamond, Alvin R.
6154
AUA
Phyllanthus Tenellus Roxb.
UNA00056893 Houston 31 Dec 1998 MacDonald, John R.
12491
UNA
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
ALNHS00006579 Baldwin 14 Jun 2018 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#3889
ALNHS
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
USAM000006049 Mobile 18 Aug 1967 LeLong, Michel G.
3579
USAM
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
UWAL0014615 Morgan 26 Jul 2012 England, J. Kevin
3793
UWAL
Phyllanthus tenellus Roxburgh
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