Phyllanthus is the largest genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 in the flowering plant family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Phyllanthaceae

Phyllanthaceae

Phyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae. The Phyllanthaceae are most numerous in the tropics, with many in the south temperate zone, and a few ranging as far north as the middle of the north temperate...

. Estimates of the number species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 in this genus vary widely, from 750 to 1200. Phyllanthus has a remarkable diversity of growth forms

Habit (biology)

Habit, when used in the context of biology, refers to the instinctive actions of animals and the natural tendencies of plants.In zoology, this term most often refers to specific behavioral characteristics, even when directly related to physiology...

 including annual

Annual plant

An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...

 and perennial

Perennial plant

A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. The term is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter lived annuals and biennials. The term is sometimes misused by commercial gardeners or horticulturalists to describe only herbaceous perennials...

 herbs

Herbaceous plant

A herbaceous plant is a plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of the growing season to the soil level. They have no persistent woody stem above ground...

, shrub

Shrub

A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...

s, climbers

Vine

A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...

, floating aquatics

Aquatic plant

Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...

, and pachycaulous

Pachycaule

Pachycauls are plants with disproportionately thick stems for their length and few branches. The word is derived from the Greek παχυκαυλ, meaning "thick stem"...

 succulents

Succulent plant

Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots...

. Some have flattened leaflike stems called cladodes. It has a wide variety of floral morphologies and chromosome numbers and has one of the widest range of pollen

Pollen

Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...

 types of any seed plant

Spermatophyte

The spermatophytes comprise those plants that produce seeds. They are a subset of the embryophytes or land plants...

 genus.

Despite their variety, almost all Phyllanthus species express a specific type of growth called "phyllanthoid branching" in which the vertical stems bear deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

, floriferous (flower-bearing), plagiotropic (horizontal or oblique) stems. The leaves on the main (vertical) axes are reduced to scales called "cataphylls", while leaves on the other axes develop normally. Phyllanthus is distributed in all tropical and subtropical regions on Earth

Earth

Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...

. Leafflower is the common name for all Phyllanthus species.

The circumscription

Circumscription (taxonomy)

In taxonomy, circumscription is the definition of the limits of a taxonomic group of organisms. One goal of taxonomy is to achieve a stable circumscription for every taxonomic group. Achieving stability can be simple or difficult....

 of this genus has been a cause of much confusion and disagreement. Molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that Phyllanthus is paraphyletic over Reverchonia

Reverchonia

Reverchonia arenaria is a plant species of the Phyllanthaceae family and the sole species in the genus Reverchonia. It is a sand dune annual and confined to the Southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico....

, Glochidion

Glochidion

Glochidion are a taxon of plants in the family Phyllanthaceae. It comprises about 300 species, distributed from Madagascar to the Pacific Islands...

, Sauropus

Sauropus

The genus Sauropus, of the Phyllanthaceae family, comprises about 40 species of herbs, shrubs or subshrubs, sometimes with woody bases. These plants can be monoecious or dioecious. They are distributed in Southeast Asia, Malesia and Australia....

, and Breynia

Breynia

Breynia is a plant genus in the family Phyllanthaceae. It has 35 species, distributed from India to Australia.-Synonymy:This genus is also known under several names:*Foersteria Scop.*Forsteria Steud.*Melanthes Blume...

. A recent revision of the family Phyllanthaceae has subsumed all four of these genera into Phyllanthus. This enlarged version of Phyllanthus might eventually be divided into smaller genera, but much more research will be needed before anyone knows how to do this. Progress continues to be made in this area.

Synonymy

Genera that used to be separate but that are generally included in Phyllanthus include Agyneia, Anisonema, Cicca, Emblica, Epistylium, Gynoon, Kirganelia, Menarda, Phyllanthus, and Xylophylla. Also see Taxonomy of the Phyllanthaceae

Taxonomy of the Phyllanthaceae

Here is a full taxonomy of the family Phyllanthaceae. Its circumscription is nearly coincident to that of ex-subfamily Phyllanthoideae of the Euphorbiaceae, where this family was split from...

 and Phyllanthaceae

Phyllanthaceae

Phyllanthaceae is a family of flowering plants in the eudicot order Malpighiales. It is most closely related to the family Picrodendraceae. The Phyllanthaceae are most numerous in the tropics, with many in the south temperate zone, and a few ranging as far north as the middle of the north temperate...

.

Selected species

• Phyllanthus abnormis Baill.
• Phyllanthus acidus (L.) Skeels - Otaheite gooseberry
• Phyllanthus acuminatus Vahl - Jamaican gooseberry tree
• Phyllanthus amarus Schumacher
• Phyllanthus angustifolius (Sw.) Sw.
• Phyllanthus arbuscula
  Phyllanthus arbuscula
  Phyllanthus arbuscula is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is endemic to Jamaica.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
  
  (Sw.) J.F.Gmel.
• Phyllanthus atropurpureus Bojer
• Phyllanthus brasiliensis (Aubl.) Poir.
• Phyllanthus caesiifolius
  Phyllanthus caesiifolius
  Phyllanthus caesiifolius is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is endemic to Cameroon. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
  
  Petra Hoffm. & Cheek
• Phyllanthus caroliniensis
  Phyllanthus caroliniensis
  Phyllanthus caroliniensis is a flowering plant native to the Americas, from the southeastern United States all the way to Argentina. The flowers are small and located where the leaf meets the stem. It may have medical uses, specifically in reducing pain....
  
  Walt. - native to the Americas
• Phyllanthus cochinchinensis (Lour.) Spreng.
• Phyllanthus cuneifolius (Britt.) Croizat
• Phyllanthus debilis Klein ex Willd.
• Phyllanthus emblica L. - Indian gooseberry
  Indian gooseberry
  Phyllanthus emblica , the Indian gooseberry, or aamla, is a deciduous tree of the Phyllanthaceae family. It is known for its edible fruit of the same name.-Plant anatomy and harvesting:...
  
  , also known as amla
  Amla
  Amla may refer to:* Indian gooseberry, called amla in Hindi. Amla is the size of a lemon, spherical, bitter and yellow-green.* Hashim Amla, a South African cricketer of Indian descent* Ahmed Amla, a South African cricketer and brother of Hashim...
  
   or amalaki.
• Phyllanthus engleri Pax
• Phyllanthus epiphyllanthus L.
• Phyllanthus ericoides Torr.
• Phyllanthus fluitans - red root floater, sometimes sold in aquarium shops
• Phyllanthus fraternus G.L.Webster
• Phyllanthus gentryi
  Phyllanthus gentryi
  Phyllanthus gentryi is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is endemic to Panama. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Mitré, M. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
  
  Webster
• Phyllanthus grandifolius L.
• Phyllanthus haughtii
  Phyllanthus haughtii
  Phyllanthus haughtii is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is endemic to Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montanes.-Source:* Santiana, J., Cerón, C. & Pitman, N. 2004. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
  
  Croizat
• Phyllanthus juglandifolius Willd.
• Phyllanthus lacunarius F.Muell.
• Phyllanthus liebmannianus Muell.-Arg.
• Phyllanthus maderaspatensis L.
• Phyllanthus microcladus
  Phyllanthus microcladus
  Phyllanthus microcladus is a plant found in sub tropical areas of eastern Australia. The Brush Sauropus is listed as endangered by extinction. It occurs by streams in sub tropical rainforest, from as far south as Grafton, New South Wales to the south east rainforest areas of Queensland...
  
  Muell.-Arg.
• Phyllanthus mirabilis
  Phyllanthus mirabilis
  Phyllanthus mirabilis is a plant species of family Phyllanthaceae endemic to Thailand. It is the only Phyllanthus to be caudiciform. The leaves fold together at night....
  
  Müll.Arg. - the only succulent species of this genus
• Phyllanthus muellerianus (Kuntze) Exell
• Phyllanthus niruri
  Phyllanthus niruri
  The annual herb Phyllanthus niruri is best known by the common names Stonebreaker, Chanca Piedra and Quebra Pedra, Seed-Under-Leaf but has many other common names in assorted languages, including dukong anak, dukong-dukong anak, amin buah, rami buah, turi hutan, bhuiaonla, Meniran ,...
  
  L. - Chanca piedra (Also includes P. amarus and P. debilis)
• Phyllanthus parvifolius Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don
• Phyllanthus piscatorum Kunth
• Phyllanthus pentaphyllus C. Wright ex Griseb.
• Phyllanthus polygonoides Nutt. ex Spreng.
• Phyllanthus polyspermus Shumach.
  Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher
  Heinrich Christian Friedrich Schumacher , was a Danish surgeon, botanist and professor of anatomy at the University of Copenhagen...
  
   & Thonn.
  Peter Thonning
  Peter Thonning was a Danish physician and botanist.He was sent to Ghana by the Danish government to supervise the plantations of that colony, and he lived there from 1799 to 1803. His herbarium was destroyed during the shelling of Copenhagen by the British in 1807...
  
   - often misidentified as P. reticulatus
• Phyllanthus profusus
  Phyllanthus profusus
  Phyllanthus profusus is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is found in Ghana, Guinea, and Liberia. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:* Hawthorne, W. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
  
  N.E.Br.
• Phyllanthus pseudocanami Müll.Arg.
• Phyllanthus pudens L.C. Wheeler
• Phyllanthus pulcher
  Phyllanthus pulcher
  Phyllanthus pulcher is a species in the genus Phyllanthus....
  
  Wallich ex Muell.-Arg.
• Phyllanthus reticulatus Poir. - similar in appearance to P. polyspermus
• Phyllanthus saffordii Merr.
• Phyllanthus salviifolius Kunth
• Phyllanthus sepialis Müll.Arg.
• Phyllanthus stipulatus (Raf.) G.L. Webster
• Phyllanthus tenellus Roxb.
• Phyllanthus urinaria L. - chamberbitter
• Phyllanthus virgatus G.Forst.
• Phyllanthus watsonii
  Phyllanthus watsonii
  Phyllanthus watsonii is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae family. It is endemic to Malaysia.-Source:* Kochummen, K.M. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
  
  A. Shaw

For full list, see List of Phyllanthus species.

Medical interest

The herb Phyllanthus emblica has gained interest as a potiential treatment for human bone disorders as well
as diabetes patients.

Gaining attention for its potential effects against hepatitis

Hepatitis

Hepatitis is a medical condition defined by the inflammation of the liver and characterized by the presence of inflammatory cells in the tissue of the organ. The name is from the Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation"...

 B, research on Phyllanthus niruri

Phyllanthus niruri

The annual herb Phyllanthus niruri is best known by the common names Stonebreaker, Chanca Piedra and Quebra Pedra, Seed-Under-Leaf but has many other common names in assorted languages, including dukong anak, dukong-dukong anak, amin buah, rami buah, turi hutan, bhuiaonla, Meniran ,...

 has revealed possible antiviral activity also against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...

).

Phyllanthus plants have been used in folk medicine

Folk medicine

-Description:Refers to healing practices and ideas of body physiology and health preservation known to a limited segment of the population in a culture, transmitted informally as general knowledge, and practiced or applied by anyone in the culture having prior experience.All cultures and societies...

 used to treat a wide number of diseases. In India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n Ayurvedic medicine, various herbaceous Phyllanthus species are known as bhuiamla, a name previously assigned to P. niruri only. Bhuiamla is prescribed for jaundice

Jaundice

Jaundice is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae , and other mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia . This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid...

, gonorrhea

Gonorrhea

Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The usual symptoms in men are burning with urination and penile discharge. Women, on the other hand, are asymptomatic half the time or have vaginal discharge and pelvic pain...

 and diabetes (internal use) as well as poultice

Poultice

A poultice, also called cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body. It can be used on wounds such as cuts...

s, skin ulcer and other skin

Skin

-Dermis:The dermis is the layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane. It also harbors many Mechanoreceptors that provide the sense of touch and heat...

 problems (external use). Infusion

Infusion

An infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with desired chemical compounds or flavors in water or oil.-History:The first recorded use of essential oils was in the 10th or 11th century by the Persian polymath Avicenna, possibly in The Canon of Medicine.-Preparation techniques:An infusion is very...

s are made from young shoots as a treatment of chronic dysentery

Dysentery

Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...

. None of these supposed benefits, however, is established with scientific research.

Leaves, roots, stem, bark and berries of this genus contain lignan

Lignan

The lignans are a group of chemical compounds found in plants. Lignans are one of the major classes of phytoestrogens, which are estrogen-like chemicals and also act as antioxidants. The other classes of phytoestrogens are the isoflavones and coumestans...

s (e.g. phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin) and a variety of other phytochemical

Phytochemical

Phytochemicals are biologically active chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants . Phytochemicals are the molecules responsible for the color and organoleptic properties . For example, the deep purple color of blueberries and the smell of garlic...

s.