Flowers and leaves. Photo: Ken Harris, Ned's Corner Station Reserve, Lake Cullulleraine, Vic

Flowering stems. Photo: Ken Harris, Ned's Corner Station Reserve, Lake Cullulleraine, Vic

Plant. Photo: Ken Harris, Ned's Corner Station Reserve, Lake Cullulleraine, Vic

Common Name

Lagoon Spurge

Family

Phyllanthaceae

Notes

Annual forb, prostrate or to 25cm tall. Leaves alternating up the stems, 0.4-2cm long, 1-7mm wide, flat, glaucous, tips rounded with a short point. Male and female flowers on the same plant. Flowers small (less than 3mm across), , with 6 'petals', reddish with white margins, 2-3 male flowers + one female flower in clusters on short stalks at the bases of the leaves. Family Euphorbiaceae in SA. Vulnerable Vic.

Differs from Phyllanthus lacunellus in that it is an annual without a woody base, growing in clay soils, and the fruiting bodies are 3-4mm in diameter.

Note that the description in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales pages 460-461 was written before Phyllanthus lacunarius and Phyllanthus lacunellus were separated from each other.

PlantNet description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Phyllanthus~lacunarius