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Phyllanthus acidus
Phyllanthaceae FAMILY

Phyllanthus acidus

Phyllanthus acidus

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The juice of the root bark is weakly poisonous[1].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

Gooseberry tree grows well in the tropics at low and medium altitudes in places with a short or prolonged dry season. It prefers hot, humid tropical lowlands. It flourishes from sea-level up to an altitude of 1,500 - 1,800 metres[1]. The temperature range for growth is reported to be 14 - 35°c with the optimum between 20 - 29°c[1]. The annual rainfall range for growth is reported to be 700 - 4,200mm with the optimum between 1,500 - 2,500mm[1]. Requires a position in full sun or part day shade, but is undemanding as to soil requirements[2]. Grows well in dry areas[3]. Prefers growing in a moist site[4], though established plants are drought tolerant[5]. A widely cultivated fruit crop and ornamental, the plant sometimes escapes from cultivation and becomes naturalized. There are some reports that it can become invasive[6]. Seedlings grow rapidly and can bear fruits when only 2 - 3 years old[4]. The plant can flower and produce some fruit through much of the year, although there are generally two periods a year when fruit is produced plentifully[7]. Flowers are borne in clusters composed of male, female or hermaphrodite flowers[4]. The fruits often explosively dehisce dispersing their seeds[1].

Propagation

Seed - easily germinated, it is the most common way of propagating the plant[4]. Greenwood cuttings. Budding. Air layering. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Phyllanthus+acidus>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Edible Leaves of the Tropics — Martin. F. W.; Ruberte. R. M. & Meitzner. L. S. · Echo. USA. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9653360-1-8 ↩︎A terse guide, giving reasonable detail on the more common leaf crops and brief information on a wide range of lesser known plants.
  4. [4]Under-Utilized Tropical Fruits of Thailand. RAP — Suranant Subhadrabandhu · F. A. O., The United Nations, Bangkok. · 2001 · http://www.fao.org/3/a-ab777e.pdf ↩︎A detailed report on 35 fruit species that could have potential for increased production in Thailand. The report can be downloadd as a PDF from the internet.
  5. [5]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  6. [6]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
  7. [7]Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands — Little E.L.; Wadsworth F.H. · USDA, Forest Service; Washington. · 1964 ↩︎Contains detailed information, and usually an illustration, on 250 tree species, including both native and exotic species.
  8. [8]Tree Species of Panama — http://ctfs.arnarb.harvard.edu/webatlas/mainframe.php?order=s ↩︎Factsheets on all the tree and shrub species of Panama, giving identification guide, brief guide to the species and some uses. A vast, but rather incomplete work as of 15/07/09.
  9. [9]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region
  10. [10]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/