PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
Phyllanthus reticulatus
Phyllanthaceae FAMILY Least Concern

Phyllanthus reticulatus

Phyllanthus reticulatus

Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

The fruit and root have been recorded as being used in criminal poisoning[1, 2]. The plant is reported to be toxic to poultry, but the part(s) of the plant is not indicated[2]. Birds in Tanganyika are reported to eat the ripe fruit[2].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Shrub
Growth—

A plant of the moist tropics, it is found at elevations from 800 - 2,000 metres[3]. Succeeds in most soils and a position in full sun or partial shade[4]. Sometimes grows in low, brackish marshes in the wild[5]. The plant can become an invasive weed of cultivated land[2]. The plant coppices well[1, 6]. Plants will often flower all year round[3].

Propagation

Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Phyllanthus+reticulatus>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  2. [2]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/
  3. [3]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.
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  6. [6]African Flowering Plants Database — Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. · http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php ↩︎Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map.
  7. [7]Ethnic Food Plants and Ethnic Food Preparation in Eastern Ghats and adjacent Deccan Region — Sadasivaiah B. & Pullaiah T. · Apple Academic Press; Oakville, Canada · 2017 · ISBN 978-1-77188-339-9 ↩︎
  8. [8]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.