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PHYLLANTHUS hutchinsonianus S. Moore [family EUPHORBIACEAE]

Date Updated: 19 August 2007

Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical Africa, Vol 6, Part 1, page 441, (1913) Author: (By J. G. Baker, with additions by C. H. Wright.)
Names
PHYLLANTHUS hutchinsonianus S. Moore [family EUPHORBIACEAE], in Journ. Linn. Soc. xl. 192. PHYLLANTHUS rotundifolius Baker f. var. leucocalyx [family EUPHORBIACEAE], in Trans. Linn. Soc. Bot. ser. 2, iv. 38, not of Müll. Arg.
Information
A small shrub; flowering branchlets produced singly, angular or very slightly winged, glabrous. Leaves elliptic, rounded to a minute point, rounded at the base, 3–4 lin. long, 1 3/4–2 1/4 lin. broad, green, very thin, glabrous on both surfaces; lateral nerves about 3 on each side, faint below, invisible above, margins slightly recurved; petiole 1/4 lin. long, glabrous; stipules ovate-triangular, acute, 1/2– 3/4 lin. long, membranous, brown, glabrous. Flowers monœcious. Male flowers: Sepals 5–6, obovate, rounded at the apex, about 1/2 lin. long, glabrous. Disk-glands 5–6, rounded, smooth. Stamens 2–3; filaments connate to the top; anthers dehiscing at the side. Female flowers: Sepals oblong-ellipsoid, rounded at the apex, 1 1/4 lin. long, 3/4 lin. broad, with membranous margins, glabrous. Disk flat, entire or slightly undulately lobed, glabrous. Ovary subglobose, 6-lobed, glabrous; styles erect, bilobed to below the middle, lobes not swollen at the tips. Capsule about 1 1/2 lin. in diam. Seeds trigonous, convex on the back, 1 lin. long, with about 7 lines on the back.
Distribution
German East Africa Mozamb. Dist. Kinga (Livingstone) Mountains; Ubena, Goetze, 794!Portuguese East Africa Mozamb. Dist. Gazaland; Chimanimani Mountains, Swynnerton, 1524!Nyasaland Mozamb. Dist. Mount Mlanji, Whyte! Mahon! Adamson, 354! and without precise locality, Buchanan, 987!
Notes
Since Mr. Moore described this species I have associated with it several other specimens which appear to me to be the same. They show variation in the number of sepals (5–6) and stamens (2–3), a variation which appears to occur but rarely in the genus, so far as I can judge after dissecting numerous examples of many of the species.

Date Updated: 19 August 2007

Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora of Tropical Africa
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora of Tropical Africa, Vol 6, Part 1, page 441, (1913) Author: (By J. G. Baker, with additions by C. H. Wright.)
Names
PHYLLANTHUS hutchinsonianus S. Moore [family EUPHORBIACEAE], in Journ. Linn. Soc. xl. 192. PHYLLANTHUS rotundifolius Baker f. var. leucocalyx [family EUPHORBIACEAE], in Trans. Linn. Soc. Bot. ser. 2, iv. 38, not of Müll. Arg.
Information
A small shrub; flowering branchlets produced singly, angular or very slightly winged, glabrous. Leaves elliptic, rounded to a minute point, rounded at the base, 3–4 lin. long, 1 3/4–2 1/4 lin. broad, green, very thin, glabrous on both surfaces; lateral nerves about 3 on each side, faint below, invisible above, margins slightly recurved; petiole 1/4 lin. long, glabrous; stipules ovate-triangular, acute, 1/2– 3/4 lin. long, membranous, brown, glabrous. Flowers monœcious. Male flowers: Sepals 5–6, obovate, rounded at the apex, about 1/2 lin. long, glabrous. Disk-glands 5–6, rounded, smooth. Stamens 2–3; filaments connate to the top; anthers dehiscing at the side. Female flowers: Sepals oblong-ellipsoid, rounded at the apex, 1 1/4 lin. long, 3/4 lin. broad, with membranous margins, glabrous. Disk flat, entire or slightly undulately lobed, glabrous. Ovary subglobose, 6-lobed, glabrous; styles erect, bilobed to below the middle, lobes not swollen at the tips. Capsule about 1 1/2 lin. in diam. Seeds trigonous, convex on the back, 1 lin. long, with about 7 lines on the back.
Distribution
German East Africa Mozamb. Dist. Kinga (Livingstone) Mountains; Ubena, Goetze, 794!Portuguese East Africa Mozamb. Dist. Gazaland; Chimanimani Mountains, Swynnerton, 1524!Nyasaland Mozamb. Dist. Mount Mlanji, Whyte! Mahon! Adamson, 354! and without precise locality, Buchanan, 987!
Notes
Since Mr. Moore described this species I have associated with it several other specimens which appear to me to be the same. They show variation in the number of sepals (5–6) and stamens (2–3), a variation which appears to occur but rarely in the genus, so far as I can judge after dissecting numerous examples of many of the species.
PHYLLANTHUS hutchinsonianus S. Moore [family EUPHORBIACEAE]
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