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Gulf Leaf-Flower
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Gulf Leaf-Flower
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Gulf Leaf-Flower • Bengali: bhui-amla, হাজারমণি hazarmani • Hindi: भुईंआंवला bhuinanvalah, हजारमणी hajarmani, कनोछा kanocha • Kannada: ಕಿರುನೆಲ್ಲಿ kirunelli, ನೆಲನೆಲ್ಲಿ nelanelli • Malayalam: കീഴാര്‍നെല്ലി kiizhaarnelli • Manipuri: ꯆꯛꯄꯥ ꯍꯩ ꯛꯔꯨ Chakpa-heikru • Marathi: भुईआवळी bhuiavali • Mizo: mithi-sunhlu • Sanskrit: भूम्यामलकी bhumyamalaki, तमालकी tamalaki • Tamil: கீழாநெல்லி kila-nelli • Telugu: నేల ఉసిరి nela usiri
Botanical name: Phyllanthus fraternus    Family: Phyllanthaceae (Amla family)
Synonyms: Phyllanthus fraternus subsp. togoensis
Gulf Leaf-Flower is a slender scruffy to nealy hairless erect annual herb, growing up to 80 cm, usually 30-40 cm, with angular branches. Leaves are carried on 0.5 mm long stalks. They are elliptic-oblong to elliptic- oblanceolate, 5-13 x 1.5-5 mm, blunt or rounded at apex and base, or sometimes tapering to the base. Leaves are dark green above, paler and greyish beneath. Both male and female flowers have 6 tepals. Male flowers have 1 mm long stalks, tepals nearly circular-obovate, 0.5 x 0.5 mm, rounded. Female flowers are carried on 1.5-2 mm long stalks. Tepals are oblong-oblanceolate, somewhat unequal, 1-1.5 x 0.5 mm, rounded, white, midrib green. Disc is thin, flat, irregularly deeply-lobed into 6-10 segments. Fruits are round, trilobate, 1.7-2 mm diameter, smooth. Flowering: August-September.
Identification credit: R. Vijayasankar, Gurcharan Singh, Dinesh Valke Photographed at Vaghbil, Thane, Maharashtra.
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