Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

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Phyllanthus tenellus

Common name

Hen and chicken

Family

Phyllanthaceae

Where found

Naturalised. Mostly Sydney area. Occasionally elsewhere.

Notes

Introduced annual or perennial herb to 2 m high. Hairless. Leaves alternating up the stems, 0.6–2.5 cm long, 2–10 mm wide, margins flat, more or less wavy, lower surface paler. Male and female flowers usually on the same plant. Flowers with 6 white 'petals' each about 1 mm long. Flowers single, or 2-3 males and 1-2 females together. Flowering: mainly summer. Seed case greenish, 1.5–2 mm in diameter.

Family was Euphorbiaceae.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Phyllanthus~tenellus  (accessed 31 January, 2021)