About Phyllanthus microcladus Müll.Arg.
Phyllanthus microcladus Müll.Arg., commonly called the brush sauropus, is a small evergreen shrub. In the southern portions of its range, it reaches 35 cm (14 in) in height, while in the northern parts it can grow up to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall. Its leaves are simple, opposite, and clustered on short branchlets. Leaves are generally between 2 and 9 mm (0.08 and 0.35 in) long, somewhat egg-shaped with the narrower end connected to the twig via a petiole around 1 mm (0.04 in) long. Inflorescences develop in leaf axils, and can be either a single flower or a small cluster. Flowers are either male or female, and most individual plants carry both sexes. Flowers have a diameter of around 4 mm (0.16 in); male flowers are borne on a fine stem up to 10 mm (0.39 in) long, while female flowers are borne on a stem up to 20 mm (0.79 in) long. The fruit is a smooth, round capsule with a diameter of around 3 mm (0.12 in). Phyllanthus microcladus occurs in scattered populations from near Mossman in northeast Queensland to the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. It prefers to grow alongside creeks and rivers in tropical and subtropical rainforest. Much of the species' former habitat in New South Wales has been cleared for agriculture and housing. Existing populations are small and fragmented, and are threatened by invasive weeds, trampling by domestic animals such as cattle, and stream erosion that degrades their habitat.
