Phyllanthus sect. Loxopodium, G. L. Webster, 1955

Silva, Marcos José Da, Alonso, Alexandre Antônio & Santos, Igor Soares Dos, 2022, A new Critically Endangered species of stone breaker (Phyllanthus, Phyllanthaceae) from Central Brazil, with notes on its leaf and stem anatomy, Phytotaxa 530 (1), pp. 53-64 : 58

Key for identification of Phyllanthus sect. Loxopodium species occurring in Brazil

1. Stems winged, flattened or angled in cross section; leaves chartaceous............................................................................................2

- Stems cylindrical in cross section; leaves thinly membranaceous .....................................................................................................4

2. Stems up to 13 cm tall, winged, hispidulous; leaves 3–6 × 2.9–3 mm, indumented, ciliate at margin; pistillate disk patelliform; flowers on both sexes 5 and 6-merous on the same plant .............................................................................. Phyllanthus pterocaulis

- Stems (15) 19–50 cm tall; subcylindrical, angled or flattened, glabrous; leaves 5–15 × 3–6 mm glabrous, non-ciliate at margin; pistillate disk anular or segmented; flowers on both sexes 5 or 6-merous on the same plant............................................................3

3. Plants dioecious; branches flattened; stipules hastate; cymules bisexual; stamens united; pistillate disk entire; capsules 2–2.1 mm long; seeds verruculose..................................................................................................................................... Phyllanthus avicularis

- Plants monoecious; branches subcylindrical; stipules oval-triangular; cymules unisexual; stamens free; pistillate disk 5 or 6 segmented; capsules 3–3.1 mm long; seeds smooth .............................................................................. Phyllanthus hyssopifolioides

4. Leaves oblong-obovate, obovate or elliptic-obovate; stipules 0.8–12 mm long; segments of the staminate disk cuneate or rounded; pistillate sepals 1–1.2 mm long, linear-spathulate...................................................... Phyllanthus caroliniensis subsp. caroliniensis

- Leaves elliptic; stipules 1.5–2 mm long; segments of the staminate disk oval or elliptic; pistillate sepals 0.7–0.9 mm long, oblong or spathulate.................................................................................................................... Phyllanthus caroliniensis subsp. guianensis