About Pilea microphylla (L.) Liebm.
Pilea microphylla (L.) Liebm. is an annual or short-lived perennial plant that grows low or creeps along the ground. It is monoecious, meaning a single plant produces both male and female flowers. Its stems are smooth, translucent light green, succulent-like, and highly branching. The leaves are oval-shaped with tips that narrow to a point, and each leaf has a short petiole. Leaves are very small, averaging 1.5 to 6 millimetres (0.059 to 0.236 in) long and 2 to 5 millimetres (0.079 to 0.197 in) wide. They grow in asymmetric pairs, with one leaf in each pair smaller than the other. Almost all leaves have three primary veins that start at the leaf base. Flowers are also tiny, whitish to greenish, averaging 3 to 4 millimetres (0.12 to 0.16 in) in size, with male flowers larger than female flowers. This plant flowers year-round. Its common names, including "artillery plant", "joypowder plant", and "gunpowder plant", come from the behavior of male flower stamens: stamens explosively eject pollen grains during anthesis when they suddenly straighten.
