WZ Euphorb Leaf-flower

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Most Excellent Weed Gallery

The Euphorbs - Leaf-flower

The flower parts of the Euphorbiaceae family are complex. What looks like a flower petal is made up of the nectar gland and the gland appendage. The nectar glands attract and reward insects to pollinate. From the center of the "flower" a single, 3 lobed pod grows out on a stem. Be careful, many Euphorbs have a milky sap that can irritate your skin.

Knotweed Leafflower, Phyllanthus polygonoides (4)

Knotweed Leafflower, Phyllanthus polygonoides (5)

Knotweed Leafflower, Phyllanthus polygonoides (8)

Knotweed Leafflower, Phyllanthus polygonoides (3)

Knotweed Leafflower, Phyllanthus polygonoides (2)

Knotweed Leafflower, Phyllanthus polygonoides

Euphorbiaceae - Spurge family
Knotweed Leaf-flower (Smartweed Leaf-flower) Phyllanthus polygonoides
Reclined plant is about 8" long. "Flower" greenish white. Seed pod "petals" are actually sepals. Five part pod about 1/8" wide.
Fruit photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, May 2005
Flower photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, September 2006
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Jones, Coleman, Brown, Coke)

Similar Species

Abnormal Leaf-flower (Drummond's Leaf-flower) Phyllanthus abnormis
No petal-like sepals. Toxic to cattle.
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Brown)

Longstalked Leaf-flower, Phyllanthus tenellus, VZ (1)

Longstalked Leaf-flower, Phyllanthus tenellus, VZ (3)

Longstalked Leaf-flower, Phyllanthus tenellus, VZ (5)

Longstalked Leaf-flower, Phyllanthus tenellus, VZ (6)

Longstalked Leaf-flower, Phyllanthus tenellus, VZ (8)

Longstalked Leaf-flower, Phyllanthus tenellus, VZ (10)

Longstalked Leaf-flower, Phyllanthus tenellus, VZ (11)

Euphorbiaceae - Spurge family
Longstalked Leaf-flower (Mascarene Island Leaf-flower) Phyllanthus tenellus
Tiny greenish-white flowers have 5 petals. Three part seed pod about 1/8" wide, with two seeds in each part. Pod "petals" are actually sepals. When the seed pod opens the seeds are forcibly ejected, sending them flying. Long peduncle of flower and fruit grow from leaf nodes. Alternating ovoid leaflets with a projecting tip at the apex in older leaves. Upright plant is about 18" tall.
Photos taken in Van Zandt County, Texas, November 2006
(Introduced, native of Mascarene Island, invasive)

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