Phyllanthus urinaria
leaf flower, chamber bitter
Family
Euphorbiaceae
Leaf Arrangement
alternate
Leaf Attachment
petiolate
Leaf Margin
entire, denticulate
Leaf Type
simple
Leaf Shape
oblong
Growth Form
forb
Flower Color
white
Flower Month
July - September
Height (meters)
0.1 - 0.4
Milky Sap
No
Armed/Unarmed
Unarmed
Origin
introduced
Lifespan
annual
Growing Season
Warm season
Wetland Class
FAC
Prairie Coefficient of Conservatism
-1
Field Characters
Identification tip: Resembles Phyllanthus tenellus, an upland species, distinguished by the lack of hairs on the underside of its leaves, female flowers on thin stalks, and 5 stamens, while P. urinaria prefers wet areas, has hairy leaf undersides, sessile female flowers, and 3 stamen.
Natural History
An invasive, exotic, facultative wetland plant found in disturbed ground from Florida to Texas. It is most common near urban centers (Tobe, et al. 1998). The species name urinaria is said to come from the fact that the foliage smells like urine.