Phyllanthus amarus Schumach. & Thonn.

Code

PYLAM

Northern Cameroon: Phyllanthus amarus is present throughout the crop cycle. Germination begins in May, after the first rains and lasts 2 to 3 weeks. New germination phases occur after each cultural operation (plowing, weeding, hilling) until September. Flowering and fruiting occur very quickly (3-4 weeks after emergence). The speed of this cycle allows the plant to ensure its reproduction between two mechanical weeding. Fruiting ends in October-November with the drying of the plant.
Mayotte: Phyllanthus amarus flowers from Septembre to May and fruits from Ocotber to June.

Characters to distinguish some Phyllanthus spp.

Identification key of Phyllanthus

Upland, forest and derived savannah zones.

Northern Cameroon: Phyllanthus amarus grows on well-structured soils, such as non-degraded ferruginous soils, alluvium, the fersialitiques soil and vertisols whose percentage of clay varies from 10 to 40%. It is rare on heavy clay soils such as some clay vertisols, whose rate exceeds 40%. It is absent on plots with very degraded and sandy soils. It mainly grows in Sudano-Sahelian regions and Sudan where annual rainfall is between 900 and 1500 mm. It occurs occasionally in drier areas, provided that the soil has a high water holding capacity (vertisol) to remain moist.
Comoros: Common species.
Madagascar: Weed and ruderal species, fairly common throughout the island except in the extreme south. It settled in almost all rainfed crops.
Mauritius: Weed fairly common in the sugar cane fields and other crops. It also colonizes fallow and waste land.
Mayotte: Phyllanthus amarus is an exotic naturalized species, very common in degraded environments of mesophilic and hygrophilic areas. It is found in crops, gardens, villages, along roads.
New Caledonia: This pantropical species is common everywhere, except in dry or arid zones. It is found on cultivated soils preferentially clayey and poorly drained. It grows in full light and half shade it is a pioneer species, however it does not support desiccation.
Reunion: This plant is common everywhere, at low or medium altitude, except in dry or arid zone.
Seychelles: mainly active in the lower regions of the Seychelles.
West Indies: Phyllanthus amarus grows easily in cultivated, sunny areas with clay soil. It is generally not very abundant but becomes common on fertile soils.
 

Local harmfulness

Benin: Phyllanthus amarus is a common and very abundant species.
Burkina Faso: Frequent and scarce.
Northern Cameroon: This is a very common weed in plots cultivated continuously for over 10 years, especially in intensive culture systems with high fertilizer. It is part of the floristic cortege of Commelina benghalensis. In northern Cameroon, it is present in 25% of the plots but is rarely abundant. This is a good indicator of soil fertility.
Comoros: A common weed but not competitive.
Ivory Coast: Frequent and scarce.
Ghana: Rare and scarce.
Madagascar: weed of low to medium frequency but rarely abundant.
Mali: Rare but abundant when present.
Mauritius: very common weed in sugar cane fields where it competes poorly in culture. It may have an average harmfulness high in certain vegetables.
Mayotte: Phyllanthus amarus is a frequent weed, present in 18% of cultivated plots. It is very abundant, especially in forage crops and pineapple plantations. It can also develop in fruit crops and ylang plantations.
New Caledonia: This crop weed is not an real invasive of pastures, where it remains rather rare. But its cumulative presence with other minor weeds constitutes a community of species with little or no palatability, the abundance of which contributes to the degradation of pastures and in some cases seriously concerences the production of forage species.
Reunion: A weed present in 23% of cultivated land. The main crops are infested vegetables and sugarcane. This species is rarely abundant and remains low harmfulness.
Senegal: Frequent and scarce.
Seychelles: common weed of vegetable crops and tubers.
West Indies: Phyllanthus amarus is a frequent species in all crops and not very harmful. It is becoming more common in vegetable and food crops where soils are regularly improved with organic amendments and regular fertilisation. It is often in association with Phyllanthus urinaria. Selected monospecific stands of P. amarus have been observed in established banana plantations.

Medicinal: The infusion of whole plant of Phyllanthus amarus is used against the abdominal pains. P. amarus inhibits the development of viruses like hepatitis B.

Global management

Herbarium pictures ReCOLNAT: https://explore.recolnat.org/search/botanique/simplequery=Phyllanthus%2520amarus