Phyllanthus virgatus G.Forst.

 

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonym:  Phyllanthus simplex Retz.

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Moist and dry deciduous forests and grasslands, also in the plains

Flowering & Fruiting: Throughout the year

Distribution: India, Himalayas, Indo-China, China, Malaysia, Polynesia

Key identification features: Seed Under Leaf is a slender, branched, hairless herb. Alternately arranged leaves, are elliptic-oblong. Flowers are tiny, hanging from slender stalks. Male flowers on shorter, with oblong sepals and free stamens. Female flowers are on longer often together with 1 or 2 male flowers. Capsules are depressed spheres.

Uses: Used for liver ailments, jaundice, diabetes, gonorrhea.

Phyllanthus reticulatus Poir.

 

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonym: Anisonema reticulatum (Poir.) A.Juss., Cicca reticulata (Poir.) Kurz

Vernacular name: Kattuniruri,Kilanelli,Neeroli,Neeruri,Nirnelli,Poolanchedy

Habit: Shrub

Habitat: Stream banks, lake shores and also in moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests

Distribution: Paleotropics

Flowering and Fruiting: August-December

Key identification features: Scandent shrubs have pubescent branches with leaves that are elliptic, Male flowers occur in axillary fascicles. Female flowers are solitary. Fruits is globose, black with 8-10 seeds.

Uses: The twigs are used as chew-sticks and toothbrushes. Stem and leaf decoction is used as mordant and for dyeing cotton black. A soup made of the leaves, boiled with palm fruits, given to woman after child-birth.

Phyllanthus myrtifolius (Wight) Müll.Arg

 

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonym: Diasperus myrtifolius (Wight) Kuntze, Macraea myrtifolia Wight

Habit: Shrub

Habitat: Grown as a hedge plant in gardens

Flowering & Fruiting: May-August.

Distribution: Sri Lanka, China Southeast, Hainan, India, Taiwan, Thailand

Key identification features: Mousetail plant is a small shrub with tiny inverted-lance shaped leaves and small, slender, pendulous red flowers which probably inspired the name Mousetail Plant. Flowers are typically longer than the leaves and hang down by slender, red filament-like stalks, ending in a roundish bowl-like flower. Fruits are capsules

Phyllanthus emblica L.

 

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonym: Cicca emblica (L.) Kurz, Diasperus emblica (L.) Kuntze

Vernacular name: Amalakam,Nell, Nellikka

Habit: Tree

Habitat: Dry and moist deciduous forests, also cultivated in the plains

Distribution: Throughout the tropics , India, Himalayas, Myanmar, China, Malaysia, Nepal

Flowering and Fruiting: March-September

Key identification features: The deciduous tree has grey-brown bark. The leaves are simple, alternate, and grow in pairs on short deciduous branchlets, forming a closely overlapping pattern. The tree produces unisexual flowers, which are greenish-yellow. Fruit is a capsule which is subglobose.

Uses: The twigs are used to purify water, especially saline water. Fruit eaten by Sambar and Spotted deer. The fruit (Amla/Aonla) is highly medicinal and is edible fresh, pickled or cooked.

Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn.

 

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonym: Diasperus nanus (Hook.f.) Kuntze, Phyllanthus nanus Hook.f.

Vernacular name: Keezhanelli, Keezharnelli, Kiruthaanelli, Kizhukanelli

Habit: Herb

Habitat: Degraded moist deciduous forests and forest plantations, also in the plains

Distribution: Tropics

Flowering and Fruiting: Throughout the year

Key identification features:

Uses: Good tonic, diuretic and febrifuge, Aqueous extracts show potent anticarcinogenic activity against development of different tumour types.

Flueggea virosa (Roxb. ex Willd.) Royle

 

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Synonym:  Securinega virosa (Roxb. ex Willd.) Baill.

Vernacular name: Perimklavu, Vellapoolam

Habit: Shrub

Habitat: Dry and moist deciduous forests and wastelands

Flowering & Fruiting: March-December

Distribution: Paleotropics

Key identification features: Profusely branched dioecious shrubs. Leaves alternate, obovate, base cuneate, apex obtuse, glaucous below, chartaceous; Flowers minute in axillary clusturs, short-pedicelled. Male flowers numerous; tepals 5, ovate-concave, crenulate; stamens 5, free; pistillodes 3. Female flowers tepals 5, ovate. Fruit white, globose.

Uses: Contraceptives and for the treatment of syphilis, gonorrhoea, rheumatism, sterility, rashes, and an infusion of the root is taken to relieve malaria

Bridelia stipularis (L.) Blume

 

Family: Phyllanthaceae

Synonym: Bridelia scandens (Roxb.) Willd.

 Vernacular name: bushveld bridelia, velvet sweetberry and velvet-leaved bridelia

Habit: Climbing shrub

Habitat: Semi- evergreen & Moist Deciduous Forests. Endemic to Peninsular India

Distribution: Peninsular India

Flowering and Fruiting: December-February

Key identification features: It is a climbing shrub. The leaves are simple, alternate, and elliptic in shape. The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, and borne in axillary cluster. The fruits are small, fleshy, and red when ripe.

Uses: The latex is used as an adhesive ingredient in arrow poison