Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

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Phyllanthus virgatus

Common name

Wiry spurge

Family

Phyllanthaceae

Where found

Mainly Sydney area and north. Blue Mountains. Occasionally elsewhere.

Notes

Annual or perennial herb or shrub to 0.5 m high, or prostrate, with many stems from the base. Stems hairless or rough. Leaves alternating up the stems, 0.5–2 cm long, 2–7 mm wide, lower surface paler. Male and female flowers usually on different plants. Flowers with mostly 6 'petals' each 0.5–0.75 mm long. Flowers single, or male flowers 2-3 together. Flowering: spring to summer. Seed case hairless, 1.5–3 mm in diameter.

Family was Euphorbiaceae.

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